


Light 'Em Up!

by Po_ta_toes



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Force-Sensitive Han Solo, Force-Sensitive Poe Dameron, Mentioned Luke Skywalker Relationship, Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, Minor Poe Dameron/Finn, Past Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 74,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Po_ta_toes/pseuds/Po_ta_toes
Summary: Set during the events of the Poe Dameron comic book series and then onto the movies, we see General Leia Organa struggling with many issues...Trying not to feel the pain and loss of her son.Trying to find her long, lost brother.Trying to prep for war with what little she has of the Resistance.And finally, trying not to pull her hair out when her best pilot, Poe Dameron, gets a little too close to her niece, Elara Skywalker.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker/Original Female Character(s), Poe Dameron/Original Character(s), Poe Dameron/Original Female Character(s), Poe Dameron/You
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

**Thirty years have passed since the defeat of the evil Galactic Empire, but threats of turmoil are rising.**

**To stem the tide of the First Order, a military force aiming in secret to overthrow the New Republic, General Leia Organa has founded the Resistance movement. Looking to expand her forces, Organa has recruited the best pilot in the galaxy-- Poe Dameron.**

**Now, with the help of his droid BB-8 and squadron of fighter pilots, Poe must act quickly to defeat any threat to the Republic that comes his way, no matter how deadly the risks...**

~~~~~~~~~

D'Qar.  
Secret base of the Resistance.

Leia stood leaning against her desk, her arms folded in front of her, "You cannot fail, Poe."

"I know, General Organa. I understand what's at stake," the pilot ensures from his spot across from her.

"I'm not sure you do. Not yet. You grew up in a galaxy where the Empire had already been defeated. Everything you know about their capacity for evil, you learned secondhand."

"General, with respect, I've fought the First Order before and beat them every time," he reminds the former princess, "Once in a ship that had to be at least fifty years old. They aren't the Empire. Not even close."

"No. Not yet. Many across the galaxy are attempting to curry favor with the First Order by selling them information. Thanks to your efforts on those missions you're so proud of, we were able to intercept some of that intelligence before it reached Supreme Leader Snoke. It tells us a great deal about his plans-- but most importantly, it is clear that the First Order is searching for my brother."

"Luke Skywalker."

"Yes," Leia confirms while reaching for her holopad, "We cannot allow them to find him. We _cannot_."

Poe tilts his head, "Do you know where he is?"

The face she made was hesitant and grave, "...No. We have to find him and bring him here."

"It would be nice if we had really good operatives like the First Order does instead of the secondhand droids Threepio thinks are good spies."

"Welcome to the Resistance, Poe," Leia rolls her eyes sarcastically, "Where everything we have is secondhand. Ah," her tone brightens when she hears the door open and loosens one hand from around her holopad to point in the direction opposite of herself, "May I introduce you to my niece and consort, Commander Elara Skywalker."

A woman walks right up to the General when she heard her name being addressed and turned to face the pilot. Poe's jaw falls slightly at the name and his eyes widen in astonishment once a pair of stormy grey orbs lock their gaze on him. The woman was no older than him -possibly only a few years younger- and stood at Leia's height if not a little taller. Her dark cocoa hair was pinned up in a similar fashion as the General's with its' own little twist of a braid up top. She wore a tight, grey, military standard uniform with a shining silver badge formed into the symbol of the Resistance on her collar, and clipped to her belt was unmistakably a silver hilt of a lightsaber. Her face wore a similar expression that complimented her clothing and eyes. Stormy, tight-lipped, and boring.

"Elara, this is Poe Dameron. The pilot I had discussed earlier," Leia spoke to her niece with her hands now folded in front of her and beaming at the younger woman.

"Ma'am," Poe greets formally while extending a hand out to her, which she shakes in return.

"It's quite the honor," Elara now graces him with a small smile, even if it is forced as she pulled away from him, "I've heard you're the best of the best."

"I should be the one who feels honored. I'm in the presence of a Skywalker," he grinned almost too excitedly that reminded Leia of a kid about to receive a treat. The stern woman clears her throat and rolls her eyes, inwardly amused when Poe's face falls with the realization that she was still in the room, standing beside him. He immediately ducks his head to avoid any further eye contact, "Sorry, General."

"Don't be," Elara speaks up before Leia could even come back with a snarky response. Poe looks back up at the young commander and Leia watches as Elara grins in such a similar fashion to a certain smuggler its almost terrifying, "She lost the right to the name the moment she married my uncle. We Skywalkers have civilized dignity after all."

Poe is startled enough to laugh breathlessly, "Oh, you're funny."

" _She_ thinks she is," Leia grumbles while walking over to stand closer to her niece, the young woman now standing more proudly with a smug smile, "Elara here is my protégé and one of my number one assets against the First Order. With a father like Luke, Elara has been trained in many ways to fight and achieve the best battlefield strategies."

"My mother was gifted, too, you know," Elara muttered.

Leia smiles sadly back at her, one frail hand settled on the younger woman's shoulder, "She was one hell of a Jedi, I'll give you that. She was one hell of a woman in general."

Something soft grew in Elara's hidden smile. Within moments, it was gone, but the shine in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Poe. The pilot places his hands on his hips and fixes her a curious look, "So how is it _you_ don't know where Luke Skywalker is?"

The sigh Elara lets out was long and exaggerated. It clearly wasn't her first time being asked this, "For a long time, I thought my father was dead. It wasn't until recently we were given proof that he's still out there somewhere."

"But if you're a Jedi and your father's a Jedi, why can't you just find him through the Force?"

Elara's deadpanned expression was enough for Leia to hide an amused grin behind her hand as she watched the sarcasm unfold, "What a fantastic idea. Why haven't _I_ thought of it?"

"What?" Poe looks between Elara and Leia, trying to pull some leverage to defend himself, "Isn't that how the Force works?"

"It is, roughly, how the Force works," Elara confirms with a nod, "and that's why it's frustrating to learn that my father has completely cut himself off from the Force. It was the whole reason why I thought he was dead in the first place... because I couldn't feel him."

"But if you don't know where he is..."

" _We_ don't. But _he_ might," Leia points out when activating the holopad, showing the face of a slim old man to Poe.

"Who is that?"

"Lor San Tekka. An explorer. He's been all over the galaxy-- there's not a sacred site or Jedi ruin he hasn't seen. He's supposed to be _dead_ , but this holovid you intercepted shows him _alive_ , and older than the last time I saw him. He could still be out there. And if he is, he's our best hope for finding Luke."

"We know Lor San Tekka is alive," Elara informs Poe as he looks between her and the General, "The First Order does not."

"This is a huge opportunity for us to get ahead of them," Leia adds onto her niece's explanation, "But we have to act on it now before they learn the truth. The site's location is in our records. I need you to go there and ask Lor San Tekka for help."

"And if he's not there?"

"You know why you're getting this assignment, Poe?" Leia grins while crossing over to her desk and sitting down, "Because you don't need to be told every little thing. Just get it done."

"Yes, General. I'll leave right away."

"Not yet," she waves a hand at him, "I've authorized you to select a small squadron. Four more pilots and a technician. It's unlikely that you'll run into trouble-- this planet is at the back end of the galaxy. Still... you never know."

"Right. Better safe than sorry," the man lifts an amused eyebrow, "I'll pick good people."

"You better. I've been on my share of missions like this. Things can fall apart quickly, sometimes before you realize it's happening. Whomever you choose... make sure they're people you can trust," she turns her head and nods to the woman beside her, "Elara will help you form your squadron and will have preparations made for the mission ahead."

Elara nods and walks away from her aunt, walking past Poe as he looks to Leia.

"Thank you, General," Poe nods in salute and follows Elara out of the room.

"Good luck, Poe," Leia calls after him just as the doors slide shut.

"Any names that come to mind right away?" The young Skywalker asks as they walk down the hall towards the hangar.

"L'ulo L'ampar," Poe answers instantly with a smile, "Temmin 'Snap' Wexley. Karé Kun. Jessika Pava. And the technician, Oddy Muva."

"Wonderful. You just made my job a hell of a lot easier, Dameron," she sends him a grateful expression, "I'll have your ships prepped and revving for you to get started. Your droids shall be charged up and ready to go whenever you're cleared for take-off. Until then, get your new team ready, Commander."

"It'll be my pleasure, Commander," Poe barely has time to brace himself before he feels something heavy crash into his shins. He quickly catches himself and laughs with the repetitive beeping coming from the ground, "Okay, okay, Beebee-Ate. I'll be there in a minute."

The droid finally appears to notice that his master was speaking to someone and tilts his dome head up at Elara, who grins and kneels down at the droid, setting her datapad on the floor to reach over to him, "You're antennas' bent, little one."

Poe opened his mouth to tell her how BB-8 doesn't like that kind of talk-down, but immediately tightens his jaw back up and watches in astonishment as BB-8 leans towards Elara and lets her fix his bent antennae, all the while rambling and beeping at her as she smoothed out the wire as if they've been friends forever. The droid goes on talking about his day and complained about the countless amounts of time he's had to go searching for Poe for someone else because apparently BB-8 is now Poe's little messenger and is growing quite a reputation for himself. Elara hums in response to every opening when she's supposed to agree, sighing in victory and leaning back up to place the wire back on his head.

"Sounds as though they're not paying you enough," she stands back up while BB-8 beeps at her in surprise and she snorts, "No, I'm not getting paid. It was a figure of speech."

"You speak Binary?"

She looks up and stares oddly at Poe, apparently now remembering that he was still here and he might as well have said the dumbest thing imaginable, "Of course I can? Ever heard of an Artoo-Detoo or a See-Threepio?"

"Right. Family droids," Poe nods at the dawning realization and sheepishly smiles as the woman stands up, "See, this is why Beebee-Ate and I make a great team."

"I see. Clearly, you wouldn't survive without him," Elara's smug expression returns and looks down at the droid, "He's saying you're too smart for your own good."

BB-8 beeps sarcastically low and Elara snorts before addressing Poe again, "I'll have your team rounded up for you to meet in the hangar."

"Cool," Poe sticks out his hand to her as they were about to part ways, "And, again, it's an honor to be working with you."

"Give it a week, Flyboy," she chuckles while only briefly shaking his hand, "You'll be wanting a different face debriefing you on your missions before you know it."


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been writing this fanfic for months now and have always been afraid to publish it. It is technically a full book but I still have some pieces I need to put together before publishing all the chapters. I hope so far everyone is enjoying it and if not, please please please give it a chance because it does get better! Thank you! :)

The first thing Poe does the moment he lands back on D'Qar -after his mission from Ovanis that went surprisingly well all things considered- is head straight to Leia's office, waiting until the door is shut behind him to look back at the General, only to realize Commander Skywalker is also there, standing over her aunt while setting some paperwork down on the desk. Both women look up at his entrance, and Elara even pulls back her jacket sleeve to read her watch.

"You're back earlier than Threepio anticipated."

"General," Poe ignores the comment to stare directly at Leia and only Leia, "May I speak to you alone?"

Leia's eyebrow rises with suspicion, her hands folded in front of her on the desk, "If you're just reporting back from your mission, Poe, then Commander Skywalker is required to stay and hear about it."

"This isn't just about the mission, ma'am. This is for your ears only."

"My eyes and ears have always been my niece. She is my most trusted operative apart from you and Threepio and an asset to the Resistance. And not only that, your classified missions involve finding her father," Leia blatantly ignores how hard the woman next to her rolls her eyes to continue glaring at the pilot in front of her, "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Elara."

Poe sets his jaw and stands stiffly while slowing muttering, "Someone put a tracker on my ship that led the First Order straight to us. Someone from the Resistance. One of our own."

The room fell into silence and the air was heavier than before Poe first walked in. Leia pursed her lips, but it was Elara who beat her to it, her own mouth forming into a snarl while glaring at Poe, "Oh, and you think it was _me_?"

Poe shook his head, "I was trying to be careful and wanted to minimize how many people knew about it besides the General and myself."

She snorts in response, "You're lying."

Dammit. He forgot about the whole Jedi thing for a moment and sighed, "Okay. So _maybe_ I suspected it was you. You're definitely on top of my list considering I don't know you and I can't imagine anyone from my own squadron betraying me or the Resistance. I practically grew up and fought beside most of these people for years!"

"And you make a very fair point, Dameron," Elara nods firmly, "But as a Jedi, I would like to point out to you that you can't just turn a blind eye on something because you don't believe someone you know would betray you."

His eyes narrow, "I trust my friends. I don't trust strangers."

"You don't trust _me_ ," she corrects, keeping her posture straight and her chin in the air, her grey eyes more stormy than before, "I respect that. But take it from a Skywalker whose family was built on Darth Vader betraying the Jedi Order: you can know someone your whole life... you can know them as well as the back of your hand... and yet they can still stab you in the back--"

" _Enough_ ," Leia interrupts and Poe wondered if the mention of Vader pained the General more then she let on. But while staring down at Elara, Poe wondered if maybe her words meant something more and Leia had detected it. Something else was stirring underneath the skin of those two women and Poe had wondered if he had stepped over a sensitive family matter. Elara blinks out of her staredown with the pilot and turns back to Leia, the General waiting for her attention before continuing, "This is very disturbing news and it should not be taken lightly. You have both made excellent points today. The awareness that there is a traitor in our midst should be left to the people in this room and we should consider _everyone_ as a possible suspect. Elara, I want you to get Threepio in on this. Have him investigate. Start with the tracker and inspect Poe's ship for any clues."

"Yes, General."

Elara quickly struts out of the room, never giving Leia or Poe a second glance before she disappears. Poe bites the inside of his cheek to contain the shame and guilt he felt before turning back around to meet the General's stone eyes, "Now, Poe, you need to tell me exactly what happened. As much as you can remember."

"Yes, General."

~~~~~~~~~

After a quick briefing with General Organa about his latest mission from Ovanis, Poe needed to head over to the mess hall to regroup with his squadron for some much-needed celebration and refreshments before he gives them their next target. As he was walking back to the mess hall, Poe just happened to be walking past the hanger deck when he heard a familiar voice coming from his X-Wing.

"Running diagnostics?"

"Yes, madame. Two of the T-70 X-Wing Starfighters had taken some considerable damage--"

"I understand, Threepio, but what about the tracking beacon Commander Dameron's Astromech droid found on his ship?"

Poe carefully walks over and hides while observing Elara Skywalker and General Leia's droid, C-3PO, talking beside his ship as they studied it.

"It was hidden close to the tank, I imagine, under the belly," the golden droid informed her, "It would be easy to miss until the ship would need a refuel or until BB-8 tracked it down."

The expression she showed was one of concern, which is considerably different from the bored and annoyed expressions she made when first meeting Poe, "Did you run the tracker for fingerprints? DNA? Any viable data?"

"I did. But unfortunately, too many people have touched it before I was able to confiscate it," Threepio lowered his head, "The tracker is also slightly damaged due to Poe Dameron trying to destroy it once he had discovered it."

"So it would be nearly impossible for you to trace it back to its original owner," Elara placed her hands on her hips, "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, Mistress Elara. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to continue my investigation."

Elara sighs, looking back at the X-Wing before nodding, "Thank you, Threepio."

Once the droid leaves, Poe thought Elara would, too. But instead, she stayed with his ship, watching it closely. A distant look in her eye gives away a window of vulnerability, a soft smile forming on her soft lips as she reached up to touch the cool metal of the X-Wing, running her hand down near the Repulsorlift. She looked younger and full of life as her smile grew, and Poe wondered if maybe there was more to her than she leads on.

"Do you fly?" He asked without thinking, stepping out of his hiding place just as Elara jumped with a small gasp. Once she realized it was only him, she relaxed and drew her hand away from his ship, straightening out her shirt while blinking away her childish gaze with a frown.

"All Skywalkers know how to fly," he ignored the way the wind rushes through his ears as she spoke, a newfound spark in her eyes driving Poe nearly speechless. The unwelcome grin takes place on his mouth as she continued, "Before my father ever knew the ways of the Jedi, all he ever wanted was to be a pilot. And according to him, so did my grandfather."

Poe lit up like a child on his birthday when he hears this, now spewing off everything he knew about the stories he grew up hearing, "Your father was a Rebel pilot of the Alliance. He took down the first Death Star single-handedly with just one shot. All done with these bad boys."

He gently thumps the side of his X-Wing. Elara rolls her eyes and smiles, nodding in confirmation while touching the ship again, "That's right. I practically grew up with the X-Wing as my nanny."

He laughs, the sound alone had a chime to it that rattled off the side of the X-Wing, resonating off of Elara's hand and she pulls away again as if she had been stunned.

Once Poe could get ahold of himself again, he lowers his gaze and his smile shamefully falls while clearing his throat, "I'm sorry I accused you of being a traitor."

Elara huffs a quick sigh while shaking her head, "It's fine. Again, I understand why you would trust your friends over a total stranger."

"Are you any good? Flying, I mean."

The glint in her eyes was mischievous and cunning, adding a wink for good measure, "Maybe someday I'll show you."

"Maybe you can show me now," Poe offered without hesitation, "Black Squadron is heading out on another mission. We will be meeting Grakkus Jahibakti Tingi in his prison on Megalox Beta. I'm sure the General wouldn't mind another member joining the squadron."

"Grakkus the Hutt?" She quirks an eyebrow and shakes her head, "I think I'm better off staying here then. Grakkus and my father had a history... a history that got the snot monster stuck in that prison in the first place. You won't be getting much information from him with me around. He'd most likely want to kill me on sight."

Poe shrugs in understanding, "Fair enough. But someday, you'll be joining the fight? You're a pilot and a Jedi. The Resistance could use that out on the field more than inside collecting data."

She frowns, "There's no such thing as a small job in the Resistance. Every bit counts. Besides, I may not have seen much fighting," the female Skywalker turns on her heels and walks away, "But I've already seen plenty of death to last me a lifetime."

~~~~~~~~~

After the team is debriefed and they start packing for the next mission, Karé was able to catch all of the Black Squadron members together just before they were all about to climb into their respective ships. She grins while watching Jess punch Snap's shoulder and narrowly misses his playful swing in response. L'ulo is laughing while clapping Oddy's shoulder as their mechanic wraps up any last-second repairs to their ships. When closely observing further, Karé noticed that Poe was standing off to the side, staring down at his helmet with a hard-focused expression. She decides not to step over it too closely in fear of ruining everybody's good mood before the next mission as she finally reaches her crew with a grin, "You guys ready?"

"Born ready," Jess cracks her knuckles, and L'ulo offers her a fistbump.

"What's eaten ya, Poe?" Snap asks while peering over to their Black Leader, who hasn't spoken since before the debrief. Apparently, he wasn't one to tread lightly over Poe's mood unlike his girlfriend, Karé, "You seem distracted."

Poe startles out of the haze his mind had been feeling while glaring at his helmet in deep thought. Looking around to see everyone's eyes on him, he sighs through his nose before opening his mouth, "Say, what do you guys think of the General's consort?"

Snap quirks a dark eyebrow, "Who, Skywalker?"

"The General's niece?" Jess asks to confirm.

"Leia keeps her pretty close," L'ulo shrugs, "So that's why we've barely seen her up until this point."

Poe shakes his head, "Leia has personally gone to me for all of my missions ever since I joined the Resistance, and not once have I met Skywalker up until now."

"Leia's been teaching her how to be a politician as well as a military leader," L'ulo explains, "After Leia left the Imperial Senate, others started to drift away. Leia knew she couldn't go back because no politician would take her word for anything because she was Darth Vader's daughter--"

"That's stupid," Jess spat.

"That's politics. I think I first met Elara when she was a teenager after Leia took her in. At one point, I know she sent Elara away to Naboo so she could learn about democracy and maybe that's where she's been all this time. Her aunt has been showing her the ropes ever since."

Oddy Muva pitches in when he joins the group after prepping their engines, "She's scary sometimes. She's hard on people who deserve it, mostly, but she's gentle to others."

"Well, that could just be because she's technically a Jedi," Karé informs the others, to which Jess narrows her eyes at the other woman.

"Why do you say 'technically'?"

"Because 'technically' she was still in training until she joined the Resistance."

Snap looks to his girlfriend, now also intrigued, "How do you know that?"

"I read a report or two," Karé grins, "Something _you_ guys should do every once in a while. She lived on Yavin 4 with Luke Skywalker's other Jedi students in a temple called Jedi Praxeum."

Snap's eyes widened as he looked over at their Black Leader, "Poe, aren't you from Yavin 4?"

Poe doesn't respond as he's too enthralled with Karé's story, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Karé continues explaining her knowledge, "I read the report of the Temple. It burned down and half of Master Luke's students were killed. The other half went with the student who killed them all. Master Nora Tade was killed and Luke Skywalker vanished."

"Nora Tade?"

L'ulo sighs, his big red eyes drooping with a pained expression, "She was another Jedi Master and Elara's mother. I followed that woman into the war. Good woman. May she rest in peace."

A dawning realization floods Poe's face as his eyes widen in surprise. Looking back down at the ground, he barely listens to the rest of the conversation as Jessika's eyes appeared frightened while only looking at Karé, "So how did Elara survive the massacre?"

"I don't know. The report wasn't clear on that," Karé explains, "What I read was that she was the last survivor and sent a distress signal to General Leia to come and save her. The report explains how Leia found her among several dead students and burning huts, holding onto her mother's body for dear life. By the time Leia reached her, Nora Tade's body vanished into thin air, leaving behind her Jedi robes. It was actually pretty awful to read about. That's probably why I don't feel so intimidated by Elara. I know that it's just a front; a wall she puts up."

Poe sets his jaw and his eyes on the ground in front of him, clutching his helmet while Elara's words stick in his head, _"I may not have seen much fighting, but I've already seen plenty of death to last me a lifetime."_

"Poe?" L'ulo realized the young man he's known his whole life had been quiet during the majority of this conversation. Everyone else looks over and stares at their leader while he appeared troubled by something.

Poe had a very distant memory he hasn't thought of in over twenty years. It was blurry and faint. He can only recall bits and pieces and whenever he tried to place a face, it would appear fuzzy in his mind, like cotton. Poe licks his bottom lip before blinking out of his initial thoughts and looked up at the rest of his crew, "...Nora Tade was my godmother."

Everyone's eyes widen while Karé looks embarrassed, "Oh, stars, Poe. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything--"

"It's fine," Poe quickly assures her while waving it off, trying his best to smile in encouragement, "I honestly had forgotten about her. I wasn't allowed to see her after my mother died. I was eight years old the last she came to see me."

Snap hums thoughtfully, "So you and Commander Skywalker have met before?"

He shakes his head, "Not that I can recall. But our mothers were friends, maybe we met during a time we couldn't remember."

"Are you gonna ask her about it?"

He shakes his head again, "I shouldn't. It's her mom. I have a feeling that's a topic she never wants to talk about to anyone."

~~~~~~~~~

Leia noticed the way Elara appeared to be lost in thought, staring out the window even far after the Black Squadron had disappeared. When the older woman walked up to join her niece at the window, the young Skywalker finally broke out of her daze and spoke, "General, can I ask you a question? Why Poe Dameron?"

Leia chuckles lightly while shaking her head, folding her hands in front of her, "I can't lie to you. I didn't recruit him just for his skills or experience. I recruited him because he reminded me of Luke for being a passionate, outstanding pilot and dedicated to doing what was right. And we could all use a Luke on our side."

She doesn't miss the way Elara's fingers grip tightly onto her datapad, "You mean the Luke Skywalker that abandoned us."

The General sighs, expecting Elara to sound skeptical at the very mention of Luke, "You don't approve."

The young woman shrugs, "To me, Poe Dameron reminds me of Han Solo. At least _he_ always comes _back_."

Leia huffs a laugh, shaking her head while turning to walk away, "It's nice to see you have faith in Poe already."

~~~~~~~~~

"This is everything Grakkus gave you?" Leia asked while staring down at the datapad Poe retrieved for her, Elara standing over the older woman and reading from over her shoulder. Poe had been able to catch the two women right after a meeting with some flight crews out on the landing strip of their base. He and Black Squadron had just gotten back from their mission and Elara notes that he didn't take any time to change or freshen up as he was still wearing the standard black suit Leia had provided his team. No one could know the Resistance was going to see Grakkus the Hutt in prison, therefore Black Squadron needed a cover rather than wear their standard orange flight suits. Elara had to admit it was a good look for Poe. The Black definitely compliments his hair and eyes. She wondered if the First Order ever needed a poster boy, would they hire Poe Dameron?

"Yes, General Organa. He needed us to run hyperspace calculations for him, and we wouldn't do that until he gave up his info about Lor San Tekka."

She shakes herself from her thoughts to remember where she is, "I'm surprised he even had any information to give you _at all,_ " Elara comments openly and when she looks up from the datapad, she's met with the world-renowned Poe Dameron grin.

"Oh, come on. Have a little faith in me?"

"I'm just saying," Elara rolls her eyes, "Hutts are mistrustful. It's gotta be their motto or something. For all you knew, you could have been walking into prison for no reason besides Grakkus baiting you into freeing him."

"You've never met a Hutt," Leia scolds her half-heartedly.

"And I don't ever plan on it if all they want to do is make women wear _space bikinis_ ," Elara grins the moment Leia's eyes pull away from the datapad to narrow up at her.

" _Who_ told you _that_?"

The young woman snorts, "Oh yeah, Mom told me that story _way_ before she gave me the Talk. So when were you going to tell me about your title _the_ _Huttslayer_?"

"Oh-kaaaaayy," Poe whistled uncomfortably, trying to avoid the brewing quarrel between aunt and niece, "So, General. Does it look legit?"

Leia's glare lingers on Elara before turning back to the datapad, reading off some of the locations, "Arthon, Hosra... hmm. Interesting. I'm no expert, but yes, these look like places Lor San Tekka might have gone. I think this is the real deal."

"Do you want me to take Black Squadron and start following these up?"

"Perhaps eventually, but not now. Before that, I have a more important mission for you."

"Yeah? What's that?"

The General looks back up at the pilot with a grave expression, "You told me that Terex had already gotten to Megalox Beta by the time you arrived. But you _also_ told me that the Crèche only gave their information about the explorer's visit to Grakkus to _you_. So, Poe... how did Terex know to go to that prison?"


	3. Chapter Two

Things have been winding down for the moment, but only for certain members of the Black Squadron. Their leader, however, is a different story. 

Poe has been taking all of his pent up frustration in the training room of the Resistance's secret headquarters. A week or so has passed since the last mission and Leia has him, Elara, and Threepio constantly checking in with her on their progress on finding the spy among their ranks. The General doesn't want to take any chances before Black Squadron could possibly have to fly out on another mission. She would prefer to find the spy first before they give away anymore classified information to the First Order, but finding the traitor appeared to be harder and much more draining than Poe originally thought.

"Grah!" Poe rounds a kick on the training equipment, his hands and feet properly bandaged with sweat dripping down the back and front of his tank top. He growls at the offending equipment while taking another swing at the pad with his fist. He lands another right hook while BB-8 chirps at him from the sidelines, "Oh, I seem frustrated, Beebee-Ate? I wonder why that could be."

He throws a punch with his left arm this time as he rants out loud to his droid, " _Terex_. He's got a source inside Black Squadron, probably. And that, my friend, ain't good. I've been going through mission data files, looking for anything that sticks out from our time on Ovanis and Megalox Beta. I'm looking at _everyone_."

He pretends to block an attack while pushing against a bag that springs out to hit him, easily defending his face while listing off the members of his team, "I hate it. I've known L'ulo since I was a kid. Even _thinking_ he might have betrayed us makes me want to throw up. Karé and I flew together in the Republic Navy. General Organa recruited us to the Resistance at the same time. I _know_ she's loyal. But then I think about things... like how did she know how to get to Grakkus' palace on Megalox Beta? She led us right to it."

He lifts his leg to block another attack from the moving padded machinery with his shin, bleeding out his frustrations to both the training machines and BB-8 as the droid listens quietly, "These people are my _friends_. My _family_. And now Terex has me thinking about them like _criminals_. If one of them is a traitor, it means they've been _lying to my face_. Pretending they're worried. Pretending they care. Pretending they don't know the _truth_. So now I'm second-guessing everything all of them have done since we formed the squadron."

He right-hooks an upcoming punching bag squarely in the center with a little less force than usual, "Were they really trying to help, or was it all part of some _plan_? Just another _lie_? I can't trust my own squadron," Poe slouches to the floor while staring at the ground, his droid rolling over to offer him a wet rag with one of his retracting arms, "Makes me sad. Makes me _angry_. And you know what? It's all Terex's fault."

"Your form is weak."

Poe flips around to find Elara Skywalker leaning against the doorway, a small datapad tucked into her crossed arms in front of her. He couldn't tell if she looked amused or disappointed, the expressions she makes were sometimes never clear and he wasn't sure if that was a Jedi thing or an Elara thing. He glares up at her all the same, "Excuse me?"

"Your form. It's weak," she pushes herself off the wall and steps onto the training mat, "I've never seen you in combat, but if I had, I'd probably let the First Order kill you for insulting the Resistance with that stance."

His eyes narrow further while he stands up, holding the rag BB-8 had given him to his sweaty neck, "And I'm assuming because you're a Jedi that you might know a thing or two about perfect stance?"

She shrugs as she toes off her shoes and sets down her datapad, "Perfect _everything_ , actually."

"Fantastic," Poe groans while a vein pops out of his neck with annoyance, "Anything else you want to say that will irritate me?"

"That's actually the point, Dameron," the grin she flashes him is wolf-like and intimidating, "I'm teaching you a lesson."

"Which is _what_?" He snaps, and the moment he does, he's sent flying to the ground with no warning whatsoever. Too stunned to get up, he keeps his back on the floor while watching Elara stand back up straight after having kicked him in the chest, her grin still unwavering.

"Don't get angry. If you are blinded with rage, betrayal, and confusion, you won't be able to see the big picture," she brushes herself off even when there was nothing there, the cocky little minx, "Jedis were once trained to block out and forbid ourselves of these emotions, but since my father had tried to raise the Jedi back up from scratch, we're allowed to make up our own rules as we go along. But the standard ones still apply. Do not feel anger, or it will take control of you. If you calm down, maybe you can think straight for once and finally figure out who in the Black Squadron has betrayed you."

She reaches down to him with an offered hand and softer smile. Silently, with a grim expression, Poe accepts her hand and lets her pull him back up to his feet, to which now he stood tall over her, but somehow she stood in a way that made him feel small.

"I know they're your family and you would prefer not to think about any of them as traitors. And I understand completely," a dark cloud forms in her eyes, a storm brewing that she thought she could easily hide with a stoic face, but Poe caught it right away, "Betrayal amongst family is the worst kind of heartbreak."

When he doesn't appear to be looking away from her eyes, Elara blinks and turns, walking off the training mat while waving over her shoulder, "I think Threepio was looking for you. Don't keep him waiting."

~~~~~~~~~

The thing about C-3PO is that he's not easily offended whenever someone keeps him waiting, mainly because he's not entirely aware people are supposed to feel offended from that. He doesn't always understand human behavior despite all the years he's been around them. When Poe eventually found him, Threepio had his own mission assigned to him by Leia after they received word from one of his operatives. They said they had information on the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Snoke and Threepio had been ordered to fetch them. The General suggested that Poe Dameron should be the pilot to transport the droid to and from along with one other member of Black Squadron. Poe was hesitant with the idea at first, given that all of his team members are suspects in an investigation, but eventually, he settled on having the team's mechanic, Oddy Muva, tag along for the mission instead. And so off they went. They fly to Kaddak, located in the Outer Rim in search of C-3PO's droid, N1-ZX. They keep a low profile for the most part and eventually find their long lost droid... that is until they realized that Terex was also in Kaddak and had put a bounty on Poe's head. Oddy got lost in the fight back to their ship, but Poe was pretty convinced that the mechanic was much safer away from him at the moment. The others take Poe's X-Wing hidden in the old ship Leia had gifted them and took off, leaving the older one for Oddy.

The second Poe went into lightspeed, something felt wrong deep in his gut. He couldn't explain it, but something didn't add up with this whole situation. As the ship drifts in hyperspace on the way back to D'Qar, Poe has time to think about recent events, and thinks out loud, "Huh."

"May I be of assistance, sir?" C-3PO asks from his pod attached to the side of the X-Wing.

"No, Threepio... well, maybe. I'm just trying to figure all this out. Maybe you and Beebee can help me talk it through."

_"Boop-be bleeet!"_

"Thanks, pal," and so Poe voices his thoughts out loud, "Terex has been one step ahead of us ever since we started looking for Lor San Tekka. He somehow got a _tracker_ onto my X-Wing and follows us to Ovanis. Fine, okay-- lots of people have access to the hangar. Could have been anyone in the Resistance, really."

_"Bloop. Bloop."_

The pilot smiles to himself, "Don't worry, buddy. I know it wasn't you. Then, he was _waiting_ for us on Megalox Beta-- but the only people who knew we were going there were Black Squadron, Commander Skywalker, and General Organa."

"Let me assure you, sir-- I have known both the General and Commander Skywalker their whole lives. I was even there the day the Commander was born. They are not traitors."

"Didn't say they were, Threepio. It's not the General... It's not Skywalker. Which means it's someone in the squadron. Snap, Karé, or Jess. Or me, I guess. But it ain't me. I just don't _get_ it. I've known most of them for years. _Fought_ with them. We've saved each other's _lives_. It just doesn't make any _sense_."

"So what _does_ make sense, sir?" Threepio pitches in.

" _'If you are blinded with rage, betrayal, and confusion, you won't be able to see the big picture'_ ," Poe leans back in his seat, "Commander Skywalker told me to not feel anger, or it will take control of me. If I calm down, maybe I can think straight for once and finally figure out who in the Black Squadron has betrayed me. _That's_ what makes sense. But here's what I _really_ don't get. How did Terex know we'd be on Kaddak? We purposely kept this one close. It was just Leia, me, Elara, and you two droids. No one else even..." Poe's eyes widen as it hit him, "Oh, man. It's _Oddy Muva_."

~~~~~~~~~

Elara froze in her spot while walking towards the war room to inform the General that C-3PO has not been annually checking in with her as to how the mission was going. The moment she stopped, a technician running past her accidentally bumped her shoulder when she paused right in front of them. They stop for a moment to apologize but then continued their jog to the hangar.

But she barely noticed them. Something felt wrong in the Force that made her chest squeeze uncomfortably. Staring off into space, she tried zoning in on that unnatural energy, trying to spot the issue behind the disturbance. What was wrong with this picture?

~~~~~~~~~

"The more I think about it, the more this whole thing just seems messed up," Poe grips the controls and flips a switch, and suddenly the galaxy speeding past his window in bright white lights slows to a halt, "I'm pulling out of hyperspace. I can't risk bringing Nunzix back to D'Qar until we know what's going on."

Threepio hums, "Seems very wise, sir. I do apologize for any inconvenience-- N1-ZX is my operative, after all."

"Is he, Threepio? That's my biggest question right now. Wake him up."

"Certainly, sir. If you'll just give me a moment, I'll send the activation codes. And... There. Unit N1-ZX is back online."

"And what, exactly, is this supposed to be?" The surprisingly sarcastic and nagging droid exclaims once he wakes up, "I thought I was pretty clear when I explained this whole deal to you. Even dumbed it down a little for that blobby thing between your ears you call a processing unit. You get _none_ of my data until I'm safe and sound back at Resistance HQ."

Poe grits his teeth, "Yeah, I heard you the first time. But now let _me_ be clear. I don't think you _have_ any secret First Order data. I think this whole thing was one of Terex's tricks. Don't know how he pulled it off, don't know how he fooled Threepio, but that's what I think."

The X-Wing has never been so quiet before as the annoying droid is suddenly silenced, up until the moment he looks out the window and feels sly, "Yeah? What makes you say that?"

Poe looks over his shoulder and feels his heart drop at the sight of an entire armada of bounty hunter ships fall out of lightspeed and stop just behind his X-Wing, along with Terex's ship leading the fleet. 

"Blast! _I knew it_. Calculate a new set of jump coordinates, Beebee-Ate! And tell me where we are! Any help nearby?"

BB-8 beeps a reply with panic evident behind it, causing Poe to deadpan, "Great. Guess we're on our own. Ah, man. This is _ugly_. Beebee-Ate, get a message to the Resistance--"

"If I may, sir," C-3PO pitches in, "I'll send the distress signal. My activation codes will be sent straight to General Organa much faster than BB-8's through carried radios."

"Then do it! At least they'll know what happened to us."

"If you get me scrapped, human, I swear I'll--"

" _Shut up_ , Nunzix!"

The X-Wing begins to spin to avoid firepower as the armada starts to fire at them. Poe tries to take evasive maneuvers as the entire ship starts to rattle. Threepio shouts in distress after he sends his codes, "My goodness! This is _terrible_!"

"Can't outrun them. I'll try to get in there, maybe make them take each other out. Try to keep flying until we can get a hyperspace jump calculated."

"Sir, with the number of enemies we're facing, I'm not sure that tactic will--"

" _Shut up_ , Threepio!"

~~~~~~~~~

Elara didn't have time to meditate and figure out why the Force was telling her something was wrong as the answer was held all within her datapad. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a ding coming from the pad and upon looking down, Elara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion to see a set of familiar activation codes.

"Threepio?" She questioned out loud before tapping the datapad and opening the decoded message, which she was able to decipher within seconds after learning how-to from the droid himself when she was a child. She at first was confused by the message as it didn't explain to her why Threepio was late on checking in. Instead, it spoke of a distress signal, a cry for help, "Oh no..."

Elara found herself breaking into a run, losing breath quickly as her heart pounded in her ears. She finally reached the war room and called out, "General!"

Leia spun around, eyebrows furrowing at the state of her niece out of breath and panicking behind her eyes. The young woman chokes on air for a moment before looking up at her aunt, "The Force..."

"I felt it. I know."

Elara nods, gasping for breath while holding up her datapad, "It's Threepio. He sent a distress signal. Dameron and the droids are in trouble."

Leia's gaze hardened, "Where."

"He sent coordinates. It's open space in the middle of nowhere. They're being chased by a fleet of criminals run by Terex. They have nowhere to go."

"Run those coordinates and send a search party--"

"Forget it," Leia's eyes widened by the drop in Elara's voice once the young Skywalker fully caught her breath and straightened her posture, "I'll lead Black Squadron out there."

"You?" The General's voice was equally terrifying as it starts to sound like a doting mother, "Commander, you and I both know that if you step off this planet and the First Order find out you're alive--"

"I'll take my chances. Don't wait up for me," the young Jedi turns and races out of the room without a second glance.

"Elara!"

She ignores her aunt's calls as she runs to the hangar, more determined and more in control of her breathing once she runs up to Jessika's ship, who in turn was currently being entertained by Snap and Karé bickering while she and L'ulo watched from above, seated on the wing's of their ships. They all stop and turn, however, when Elara approaches them with a fixed glare.

"Dameron's in trouble. This is a rescue mission. Suit up, and wait for me to send you the coordinates."

"You got it," Snap replies without a second thought, the others only nodding and quickly getting to work prepping their engines.

"Snap, you're temporarily promoted to Black Leader," Elara instructs while pulling up her hair to tighten it into a bun, "You got a spare X-Wing?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because unfortunately, I can't just fly using the Force."

~~~~~~~~~

Even though Poe had managed to hit two or three opposing ships, there was still plenty more to take their places and fire back in response. It didn't take long before Poe's X-Wing was shot down and plummeting towards a nearby uncharted planet. Poe had managed to land the ship upright even without using the landing gear, but now he and the droids were stranded and there was an armada hovering above them. They all quickly exit the X-Wing and start running, Threepio being slower than the rest and so Poe had to carry him on his back. They managed to hide in a small ice cave for the time being and travel down deeper in order to avoid the armada once they get there. But by traveling further down into the cave, meant that they were trapped by the time Terex arrives on foot along with his entire crew. 

It didn't take long before Terex got to Threepio, and seeing as the human-cyborg relations has a reputation, Terex was smart enough to know that the droid may be more useful than Poe. Or, at the very least, C-3PO's _memory_ unit was more useful. As his men start to drag Threepio away, Poe was now currently stuck with Nunzix since BB-8 had gone missing, too. They were surrounded and had nowhere to run. Poe was just about ready to start pulling at his beloved hair in frustration when his communicator started to buzz with a familiar voice.

_"Black Leader, this is -kkzkt- do you read?"_

"Oh..." Poe sighed in relief, "Thank the Maker."

_"Repeat. -Kkzzzkxx- Do you read, Black Leader? This is Black Squadron. Don't worry, Poe. We're coming."_

Poe grabs the communicator with a wide smile on his face while bringing it to his lips, "That you, Snap? Man, it's good to hear your voice."

_"You, too, Poe-- Sorry it took us so long to get here. You okay?"_

"For the moment."

"That's exactly what I said!" Nunzix pitches in an annoyed tone.

_"Okay-- looks like we might have to fight our way down there-- But we'll do it. Just hold on. We'll be there as soon as we can."_

"You got it. Thanks again, Black Two."

_"Don't thank me, Black Leader. Thank Commander Skywalker."_

Poe's eyes squint in confusion and when another familiar voice sounds over the comms, his stomach involuntarily did a backflip.

 _"For the record, I always keep my favorite droids close and knew you guys needed help when Threepio didn't check-in,"_ Elara spoke through the comms, her pilot helmet squeezing comfortably on her head as she veered her ship slightly to the right to avoid collision with Jessika.

Poe's smile of fascination is faint and it fades just as fast before delivering the bad news to Elara, "They got him, Skywalker. They got Threepio and are taking him in for interrogation."

"Dissection, you mean," Elara cursed under her breath, gripping the controls in front of her, "Over my dead body. Snap?"

"We got it covered up here, kid," L'ulo speaks from Snap's right.

"Just go bring our boy back," Karé pitches in from Snap's left.

"We'll cover you, Skywalker," Snap finally informs, nodding towards Elara through the windows of their cockpits.

She nods in thanks and breaks formation from the rest of the squadron, flying down towards the planet as quickly as possible. She hears blaster fire behind her but had faith that it was just Black Squadron providing her cover if the armada spotted her heading down towards the planet. 

It didn't take long before she spies Poe's abandoned X-Wing, following the trail up to the mouth of a cave. As she starts getting closer, she squints her eyes to see a couple of men dragging a pile of parts out that shined gold in the sunlight. The grip on her controls stresses the metal as a spitfire of rage starts to bloom in the bottom of her stomach. She preps her guns as she flies closer to the ground, setting the men in her sights.

Outside the cave, a bunch of Terex's boys' were wanting to tear Threepio up for parts until they looked up and noticed an X-Wing speeding their way. They slowly begin to back up and let go of C-3PO, starting to sprint in the opposite direction as the X-Wing begins to fire. 

Elara grits her teeth while growling, "Get.

Your filthy.

Hands.

Off.

My family's.

Droid!!"

The shower of blaster fire riddles the men's bodies as they all fall to the ground just as Elara passes over them. She sighs, leaning back in her seat and loosening her grip on the controls. She tries tapping into a frequency she knows by heart, "Skywalker to See-Threepio, do you copy?" She only hears static in response and her stomach drops, "Threepio? Do you copy? Was that you down there?"

"-kzzzt- es! Yes! That was me! A memory unit or two might be misplaced, but I'm okay! Oh, thank you! Thank you, Mistress Elara!"

Elara laughs out of relief and pulls up high into the atmosphere to rejoin the fight. She notices that Black Squadron is easily outnumbered and by chance she witnesses one of their ships get hit in the wing.

"I'm hit!"

"Karé-- you okay?"

"Still flying, Jess. But barely. If I can just... Oh, no."

"What is it, Black Five? What's the matter?"

"Got three heading right for me, L'ulo, and I can't really steer. This is it. Thank you, Black Squadron. It's been an honor."

Karé closes her eyes and salutes in what she believes to be her last moments before her vessel rattles when the three ships in front of her explode as she flies by. Opening her eyes, Kun looks out her window to find Elara's X-Wing fly through one of the explosions and turns to fly beside the other woman.

"Need a hand, Black Five?" 

"Thank you, Commander Skywalker," Karé leans back in her seat in relief.

"Skywalker! Look out!"

Both Karé and Elara look over their shoulders at Snap's voice to see another handful of Terex's men flying towards the two ships flying side by side. Elara immediately turns her controls when she remembers that Karé can't take evasive maneuvers with a damaged X-Wing and so the Skywalker turns her own ship sideways to block Karé's as best as she could as the enemy prepares to fire.

"Skywalker!"

Elara doesn't dare close her eyes and stares at the enemy ships head-on, waiting for them to blast her out of the sky until they, too, blow up in an impressive show of fire and debris. 

"What was that?" Karé looks around frantically after Elara steers her X-Wing upright to float beside her again, "Which one of you took out those ships?"

"It wasn't any of us, Black Five... It's _them_. The big flagship-- it's attacking its own fleet!"

_"Black Squadron-- Come in, Black Squadron. Do you read?"_

"What the..." Karé looks down at her control panel, "Is that Oddy Muva? How are you--"

_"Just listen, Karé! I sabotaged the Carrion Spike's battle computers to auto-target anything without a Resistance transponder. Should buy us some time. Terex was keeping slaves on his ship-- I got them out. We're in escape pods-- filled up every last one the Spike had. But... these pods don't have weapons. We'll try to reach the surface of the planet, but with all those Ranc Fighters out there..."_

Snap nods to himself, "Understood, Oddy. We'll keep you safe."

Elara turns her X-Wing around, Karé slowly following her lead, "Come on, Black Squadron. We've got work to do."

"Black Three! That TIE Fighter Y-Wing thing is yours. I've got the ugly shuttle-fighter ship."

"Roger that, Black Two. Commencing attack run."

Snap takes aim at one of Terex's ship that was on the tail of one of the escape pods and fires, hitting its mark, "Boom. Gotcha."

"Nice shot, Black Two!" Karé cheers to her boyfriend, "I think we can do this, team-- those pods are gonna get away cle--" as she says this, one of the pods is hit and explodes right front of her eyes and her jaw drops in horror, "NO!"

L'ulo growls, "That's the last one we lose. I swear it. Shooting unarmed escape pods? I'm sending these monsters straight to Hell!"

The old veteran turns his A-Wing around and starts firing at the enemy ships, taking out three of them in a fit of adrenaline, "HA! That's how a Rebel pilot does it, you low-down, dirty--"

Everyone's heads turn at the sound of the radio being cut out and see the vast display of fire exploding from the old A-Wing model and was followed by deafening silence.

"L'ULO!" Jess screams in anguish.

"NO!"

"Dammit!"

Elara lets out a breath of defeat, the flames of the explosion reflecting in her eyes while trying to ignore the screams of the remaining Black Squadron members as they mourn their loss. Looking away so that she no longer had to see the horrific scene, her eyes catch the sight of a Star Destroyer flying out of nowhere towards them, "Guys... we've got another problem. The First Order's arrived."

"What?" Jessika's voice croaks when she eventually looks away from the remains of L'ulo's ship floating out into space.

"What do we do now?" Karé's voice was soft as she stares at their inevitable demise. When the Star Destroyer begins to fire, Black Squadron is shocked to realize that the First Order isn't targeting them at all.

"They... they're aiming at Terex?"

"I thought he was one of them?"

The questions were answered when Terex's flagship bursts into flames within seconds. Elara hums to herself while staring down at the planet, "Guess not. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be caught in the crossfire of whatever little feud is going on here."

"Agreed," Snap responds while turning his ship down towards the planet, "Our next priority is to get to Poe. Let's go, team!"

Unaware of what has been going up in the stars, Poe walks cautiously out of the cave, with Terex tied up on the ground behind him. Dameron was sporting a bandaged hand that was bleeding through from a knife wound along with bruises and dirt covering every inch of him. With his messenger bag on his hip and a filthy little BB-unit rolling at his feet, he walks out to find Threepio still online but in pieces and when he looks up at the sky, he sees a First Order warship destroying what was left of Terex's rogue fleet. When he frantically looks around, he finally spots Resistance ships meant to be his team and sighs in relief. He notices an extra X-Wing he wasn't familiar with and expects it to be Elara. He then also notices that L'ulo's ship is gone, missing from his team's formation, causing his heart to drop at the short-lived celebration. The remains of his team are speeding down towards him as fast as they could. But they are beaten by a small squadron of stormtroopers and TIE fighters that have already landed and are waiting for Poe at the mouth of the cave, "Oh. Okay, then."

"Ah. Commander Poe Dameron, of the New Republic Navy," a tall platinum blonde woman with an authoritative stance steps forward. Her hair was tightly tied behind her head and her eyes were different colors. Her right eye was human with the color red and the other was a black cyborg eye that matched her uniform, practically swallowing the void with such a proud statement of black, "So nice to finally meet you. My name is Commander Malarus."

 _"Black Leader!"_ Snap shouts through the radio, _"What's happening? We're on our way."_

"No!" Poe responds to the communicator while raising his arms up in surrender, "You can't get here in time, Black Two. Stay in the sky, take a holo of everything that happens here," he points the sky out to Commander Malarus so that she would notice his squadron flying above them as her stormtroopers take aim at him, "I am sure the folks on Hosnian Prime would be extremely interested in footage of First Order troops gunning down a New Republic officer. That'd get a war going real fast, and I don't think these guys want that."

"Hm," she hums with a bored expression while looming over him, "I had heard you're a fine pilot. I did not realize you are also skilled politically."

"It's all flying, lady. And I can fly anything."

She doesn't bother commenting until she points at the tied up Terex, "That man belongs to the First Order. I require him."

"Guess there's not a lot I can do to stop you," Poe admits, "He's all yours."

~~~~~~~~~

With Black Squadron recording everything, the First Order quietly take Terex and leave without so much as a threat. With BB-8's help, Poe was able to get his X-Wing started back up just enough to fly back home with the rest of his team, but with a heavy heart. He lands safely enough and mechanics come running up to quickly get a look at the damage. Poe looks around to get a look at his teammates, watching their tired faces through their helmets as they climb out of their ships. 

He hears a huff and turns around. The X-Wing behind him had Elara climbing down the side of it. When she gets to the last step, she jumps off and immediately goes to take off her helmet once she's on solid ground. Poe seeing her in a flight suit for the first time is strange but not unwelcome. Her helmet hair is sort of tamed by the tightly braided bun she had pulled her thick locks into, some loose strands sticking to her shiny face after tucking her helmet under her arm, resting it against her hip. Orange is a good color for her, he decides. It darkens her hair and smoothens out her features, making her appear brighter and much younger.

The sight alone made Poe's lips grow into a smile against his will, "You really _can_ fly."

"Oh, I can fly," she grins in affirmation, "Fly _circles_ around you, that is."

He laughs under his breath as she approached him, leaning down to set her helmet at their feet and then standing up straight again to find herself closer to him than anticipated. But she doesn't back away and neither does he, however, as Elara clears her throat and nods, "How's the hand?"

Poe blinks a few moments before he realized she asked him a question and then looked down at the bandaged hand nestled at his side, still bloodied from the knife wound at the center of his palm. He brings it up to his face and grimaced when he tries flexing it, "Could be worse."

"Yes, I suppose Terex could have cut your whole hand off," Elara rolls her eyes, "Then you'd be one step closer to becoming a Skywalker."

The play of words slips from her mouth before she could even stop it, trying to ignore how hot her face suddenly felt while also playing off the mishap shamelessly when she gently grabbed his injured hand, "I can probably help with this."

Poe decides to save her the embarrassment and wordlessly rests his hand in hers while she carefully unwraps the bandage. She lets the cloth fall to the ground to examine the bleeding hole in the center of Poe's palm and without warning, Elara lifts her other hand up to touch it.

"Woah, woah, woah, wait," Poe suddenly freezes and goes to try and pull his hand back, but Elara expected this and only held on tighter, "What--"

" _Trust_ me, Dameron," she scoffs but there wasn't any heat behind it, "I've already saved your life _once_ today." 

He eyes her warily, trying to find any sort of lie or betrayal behind her eyes only to come back up empty. But not completely empty. He was still looking at her eyes for something, but he wasn't sure what. Her eye color wasn't completely gray as he originally thought. They had specks of green in them as well, and now that he was up close to them, they looked more like a bar of silver, raging sea compared to the storm clouds he originally thought was her gaze. When he realized he wasn't breathing, still drowning in her ocean, he tried to calmly come up for air and nodded for her to continue, and he tried his very hardest not to appear disappointed when she looked away to examine his hand. 

She gently touches the wound with her free hand, and Poe hisses under his breath. When watching the scene, Poe noticed the hard look of concentration on Elara's face caused the frown lines on her forehead to reappear, her lips dropping from her previous smile as she focuses solely on his hand. He, in turn, also watched his hand when he suddenly felt the pain seeping away like smoke. His eyes widen in amazement to find the knife wound healing underneath Elara's touch, and within seconds the cut and blood had completely vanished. She sighs in victory when the wound had healed and looked up at Poe with a tired smile. She appeared a little drained, paler than before but all the same glowing under the thin sheen of sweat on her face. Poe felt something in his chest rise up to squeeze at his throat, rendering him speechless when he had the pleasure of seeing her eyes again.

She sees something in his gaze that makes her freeze, and for a moment she looked panicked. Hastily, she dropped his hand and stepped away, clearing her throat again and nodding, "There you go, good as new. Wouldn't want you complaining about getting a prosthetic or cyborg hand in order for you to fly again."

Poe could only nod in response. He should be saying something, anything, to lessen whatever was making the air feel so heavy between them. And for a moment, Poe could only hear his own heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears. He finally blinks and goes to open his mouth.

"Ah, thank heavens you're alright! Mistress Elara!"

That voice wasn't his. The young Skywalker turns and Poe could have sworn that had to be, by far, the brightest smile he has ever seen on the woman. It was blinding yet all the more captivating as C-3PO slowly shuffles up to her. She places a hand on his golden shoulder, "Hey, Threepio. Leia put in that backup memory unit already?"

"Yes, indeed! And thanks to you, I wasn't scrapped by the First Order."

"I wouldn't let them. You're family, buddy. And no one messes with my family."

Poe's eyebrows raise as he watches the interaction, while Threepio appears baffled and delighted, "Oh, it's so nice to hear you say that. But I'm afraid that the First Order might have stolen valuable information from my memory units--"

"Information that you yourself always decrypt and hide in plain sight," Elara encourages while patting the side of the droid's metalhead, "Don't worry, buddy. There is no one in the entire galaxy smart enough to decrypt your codes."

"If only Artoo were here to agree with you, I might actually believe it."

Her gaze turns soft, eyes dimming the light Poe just had the privilege of seeing for the first time and now he wants to bop Threepio upside the head for being the cause behind her smile falling. She sighs and nods, "I know, buddy. I miss him, too."

Threepio lightens his tone after a long moment of silence while addressing her, "Excuse me, Commander."

Elara watches him walk away until he disappears, turning back around and doesn't feel all too surprised that Poe was still standing there. His eyes looked heavy, either from exhaustion or loss, or maybe even both, she wasn't sure as she softens her voice, "I'm sorry about L'ulo."

Poe lowers his eyes at the reminder of his loss. He's been trying not to think about it too much since they had just landed back at base, but now all he could think about how much he owes his life to L'ulo. He was there for Poe after his mother died, helping his father raise him. He picked up what Shara Bey left off, teaching her son everything he needed to know about flying. At the very thought of all of that, Poe could feel his throat closing back up and tries to respond with a quick nod, "You were right about calming down so I could think straight. I know who the spy is... and I don't like it," Elara's eyebrows shoot up and waits patiently for the news, "Oddy Muva... L'ulo died protecting him."

Her face falls and she also joins Poe at staring at the ground while thinking about this information. He tries to clear his throat of pain while whispering, "I... I have to tell my father."

Elara nods, "I'll have everyone clear out of communications."

The action stuns Poe for a moment and slowly forms a smile of appreciation, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend reading the Poe Dameron comic book series if you haven't yet. This fanfic would made a lot more sense and we still have quite a ways before the events of the Force Awakens :)


	4. Chapter Three

**It is a time of uncertainty in the galaxy. Standing against the oppression of the First Order is General Organa's Resistance, including Poe Dameron and his team of pilots-- Black Squadron.**

**Poe Dameron and his team have recently emerged from a bittersweet victory. Through a combination of luck and skill, they defeated the ruthless crime lord Terex, although in the process they lost one of their own, grizzled veteran pilot L'ulo. Terex was taken prisoner by his former employers, the evil First Order, who intend to punish him for defying their commands.**

**Now, back at the hidden Resistance base, Black Squadron and their comrades have come together to mourn their loss, while in a First Order prison cell Terex awaits his fate...**

~~~~~~~~~

"This is a sad day," Leia places her hand over the coffin, her golden armbands reflecting from the light shining into the room behind her. Tears were brimming in her tired eyes that eventually fell and absorbed into her black robes. It was a look Elara never liked seeing on her aunt and she tried not to think about the last funeral where she saw Leia cry. She tries not to think about this funeral, right now, while she stands near the General and looks over the small crowd of Resistance fighters who have come to attend. At the very front of the crowd were Poe and the rest of Black Squadron with one less L'ulo and one less Oddy.

Leia takes a breath before continuing, "We have lost one of our own. L'ulo L'ampar, a skilled, fierce warrior who spent his life on the side of all that is good and right in the galaxy. As he lived, he died, and we will miss him very much. I could tell you stories about L'ulo for hours, and I'm sure that time will come. Right now, though, I would like his commanding officer to say a few words."

Elara watched Poe slowly walk up the steps towards her and Leia, his eyes only fixed on the coffin with the Resistance's symbol painted on the front. The General extends her hand out to him with a look of concern, whispering so that only he would hear, "Are you ready, Poe?"

"Not really," he whispered back while resting a hand on the coffin before turning to the rest of the audience, "Not for this. These days, we don't talk about the Force that much. I don't know if it's gone out of fashion, or if it's just harder to see around us. It was different for me growing up. We used to tell stories about the Force all the time."

Poe looks over at Elara out of the corner of his eye. She wore similar dark robes that her parents used to wear towards the end of the first war back on Endor. Her hair was loose and tucked behind her ears, and even though she avoided everyone's gaze, she stood tall and looked over the rest of them in order to appear strong. She wasn't wearing her lightsaber or any weapon, and yet she still looked fierce, ready for a fight. Poe might not remember her mother as well as he'd like, but he remembered that Nora was just like that, "I'd like to tell you one now. I heard it from an old friend of my family-- someone who understands the Force as well as anyone alive. She told me about an old Jedi she knew, one of the very last. He was as strong and tough as any of them and went out fighting evil, just like L'ulo did. She was there when it happened, and she told me his body just vanished. Empty robes and a lightsaber. That's all that was left."

Elara and Leia exchange knowing looks while Poe continued, trying not to think about what Karé said about Nora Tade. He didn't want to think about Elara's mother vanishing in her arms and tried to relay his story about the old Jedi known as Ben Kenobi, "She didn't get it-- didn't understand, not until a long time after, when she was talking to her brother. He's a Jedi, too, and he told her something he'd learned from his master. We're not this," he places a hand over his chest, "We're not just flesh and bone. Not just stuff. We're more. We're luminous. That's what he said."

He places his hand back on the coffin while the rest of Black Squadron lowers their heads, "This coffin's empty. A lot of empty coffins in this business. That's how starfighter pilots go. One second we're there, next we're just atoms, drifting through the universe. We vanish, just like that old Jedi did."

She didn't say anything, but Elara could see Poe starting to crumble and she could hear the break in his voice, "But that doesn't mean we're gone. L'ulo was pretty much my uncle. He helped raise me since I was a kid. He was cranky, kind, strong and one of the best pilots I've ever met. If he saw a way to help someone, he'd take it, and he never turned away from a fight against the bad guys, no matter the odds. You want to talk luminous? L'ulo L'ampar was about as luminous as they come. The stuff might be gone, but he's not. I can still feel him. Right here."

Poe places both of his hands over his heart, "Shining away. May the Force be with you, L'ulo. And with all of us."

~~~~~~~~~

Elara knew that if Poe wasn't at the Wake then she would find him alone in the cantina. Nearly everyone in D'Qar wanted to honor L'ulo as a veteran and a war hero, so that left most of the hidden base empty for the time being while the celebration of his life took place outside and in the air, as he would have wanted. But the Force told Elara that Poe was interested in being alone after Leia had gone up to him and grounded him until further notice, so she knew not to look for him where there were crowds.

BB-8 didn't appear to be Force-sensitive like Elara, however, and had decided to also crash on Poe's little pity parade without even caring if the pilot wanted to be left alone. Elara found the little droid right at his respective pilot's feet while Poe pressed himself against the mess hall's bar, looking off into space with an untouched drink right at his fingertips. Elara silently moves to sit on the barstool beside him, lifting her hand to place a bottle of Corellian Reserve down that she managed to sneak away from the Wake. When she heard that Leia had been gifted such a luxury by Han a few years back, Elara just had to have it. Lifting her now empty hand again, she watches a glass float in her direction at her command. The pitcher of Corellian Reserve pours the drink into her glass and sets itself down gracefully onto the counter. She waves her hand again and the pitcher floats over to Poe, pouring a separate glass for him instead of the one he currently had full of pathetic vodka. Elara takes a sip of her drink once its full and glances over in Poe's direction, catching his eye while he watched her curiously. His eyes dart between her and the untouched pitcher she made float in thin air, eyebrows rising expectedly.

She smirks and shrugs it off, taking a sip of her drink and sighing in satisfaction. Her smile turns up even more when Poe abruptly laughs, sending both of them into a set of giggles. After a while, it dies back down leaving them in comfortable silence, both of their faces now grinning while staring down at their drinks.

"L'ulo talked about my mother a lot."

Poe turned back to give her the most surprised expression he had ever created. Elara shrugs again in response and takes another sip of her drink, "He talked about Leia, Han, and Luke, too, but my God it was like he was in love with my mother. He worshiped the ground she walked on back in the day, came at her beck and call whenever she needed it. He was always so eager to follow her command, no matter how reckless or stupid it may be. When I first joined the Resistance, the very first thing L'ulo said to me was _'For a moment, I thought I was looking at your mother'._ "

Elara sets down her drink to motion to Poe, "I think your mother was in that squadron, too. The one my mother commanded, I mean. I know my father mentioned a Shara Bey before."

"Yeah, he gifted my mother a Force-sensitive tree for her help retrieving it. That tree grew up alongside me," Poe nods with a small, distant smile at the memory. He also faintly remembered times where Nora Tade would meditate under that tree whenever she'd visit. Poe was so tempted to ask Elara about it but decided against it since this was the first time Elara has ever mentioned her mother light-heartedly and would hate to bring back painful memories. Instead, he pretended to not have known his godmother, "Your mom was a pilot, too?"

"Oh yeah. Absolutely! She grew up with Han Solo. He taught her everything she needed to know back in their smuggling days."

"I wish my mother could have taught me everything she knew. I was eight when she died. L'ulo helped my dad raise me ever since," Poe looked up at her to notice the pitiful glance she aimed at him, and in response, he bloomed a mischievous look in his eyes, driving Elara to feel suspicious as he smiled at her, "Wanna know what I think? I think he'd get a kick out of it if I ended up following your command all the time. Worshipping the ground you walk on, coming to your beck and call, eager to follow your orders. Just like how he did with your mother. Repeating history and the like."

She laughs and talks into her nearly empty cup, "Just don't fall in love with me, Dameron, and we'll make L'ulo and Nora proud."

"Will do."

~~~~~~~~~

After sobering up a bit and thinking about the future, Poe finds Leia and she ungrounds him with a mission in mind for his team. She leads him and Elara to the war room and they're met with Admiral Statura. The four of them crowd around the table while a list of names that are crossed out are projected over their heads while the General states the obvious.

"This is a crisis. Admiral Statura, if you would?"

"We are critically low on supplies, particularly fuel," the Admiral informs Elara and Poe, "In the past, we have occasionally purchased these items from contacts in the galactic underworld. The system has worked well-- through a system of double blinds, we could buy what we needed while keeping our location secret. But in recent weeks, our contacts have gone silent. Only one remains-- Captain Perrili."

"What do you think's going on, General?" Poe tilts his head at Leia.

"I wish I knew, Poe. I got these names from... from my husband. They've been reliable so far. Honest... for smugglers. They're dropping away, one by one. They're just gone. Like they're being targeted."

"Targeted," Dameron hums, "If I didn't know better, it sounds like something Terex would do-- but he's dead."

"It doesn't matter why. Not right now. If we don't have fuel, then we can't fight. And if we can't fight... then it's over before it begins."

"General, if I may," Poe looks over at Elara as she addresses Leia from across the table, holding her chin up, "If you got this list of names from your husband, then why don't we _ask_ your husband if he's had recent contact with any of them. Or, at the very least, grab a new list of names Han Solo trusts."

Poe turns his head back to Leia, who seems rather keen on fixing her niece with a stoic expression meant to turn people to ash if used properly. Both Poe and Admiral Statura exchanged odd glances at one another as the two women come at a stand-still, staring down one another until Leia surrenders with a tired sigh.

"Do we have communication with him?"

Elara smirks and nods in return, "Absolutely. He promised he'd keep comms open to the Resistance should we ever need him."

"And yet, he's never come back."

" _You're_ the one who married him. You know better than anyone that he always comes back," Elara scoffs while looking down at her datapad, "Shall I make contact, _General_?"

Leia purses her lips until her eyes dart to Poe, then she opens her mouth, "Only if Black Squadron fails this mission."

Poe couldn't help but take the opportunity at being sarcastic, "No pressure."

After the debriefing, Elara and Poe go to find the rest of Black Squadron and prep them for the mission at hand. Skywalker has her datapad out while simultaneously walking without looking up, explaining a few things to Poe, "I've contacted your astromech droids and they'll be waiting for you at your ships, which are all currently being run through diagnostics. Your X-Wing still had a few bumps and bruises here and there, but it appears Beebee-Ate is fast when he wants to be."

"Hey!" She snorts in response to his protest before finally looking up to notice Poe had been staring at her. She raises an eyebrow and he blinks out of whatever daze he was in and he cleared his throat, "You and the General disagree a lot more than I originally thought."

"Of course we do. Unlike others, I'm _allowed_ to disagree with her."

He smirks while staring down the hangar deck, "She must be really desperate for us to come back with fuel if she refuses to contact Han Solo of all people."

Elara lowers her head and pretends to busy herself with her datapad, "That's... different."

Poe waves it off when she clearly appeared uncomfortable about the topic, "I get it. That's not my business. Still... it wouldn't hurt to have General Solo around if war comes knocking at our door."

" _Never_ say that whenever he's around," a smile was ever so faint on Elara's lips while she huffs a small laugh, "His brain will get swollen from his ego being fed. If asked, I'll only say that we needed Chewbacca more than him. And you can't get one without the other anyways."

They both look down the tarmac to watch Black Squadron all hanging around their respective ships. Poe begins to walk over before turning around and half-ass saluting Elara with a lop-sided grin, "Until next time, Commander."

"Just don't make me have to come out there and rescue you... again," she winks in response before turning on her heel and walking away.

~~~~~~~~~

Poe noticed how everything was so quiet the second they were all in hyperspace. He turns the dials and comms everyone, "I know what you're all thinking. First mission without L'ulo. I'm thinking it, too. Not great. But here's what else I'm thinking. We can let L'ulo's passing weaken us... or we can find a way for it to make us stronger. Here's what I say. This mission succeeds, no matter what. For the Resistance, sure. But also for L'ulo.

The atmosphere felt immediately lighter as Snap's voice answers, "Yeah, wouldn't want him worrying we're going to screw everything up now that he's gone."

A laugh is startled out of Karé as she replies, "All right. For L'ulo. This one works. No matter what."

"Right there with you!" Jess pitches in.

Poe smiles proudly at his team and nods in agreement without them seeing it, "No matter what. We're here. Dropping out of hyperspace."

~~~~~~~~~

That mission went as smoothly as one could expect from Black Squadron, which isn't saying much, but they did retrieve fuel for the Resistance at the very least. They did it for L'ulo and they couldn't ask for anything more than that. The mission that came after that, however, less than smoothly and even more weight to add to Poe's shoulders. 

Leia had an old Navy friend of his, Suralinda Javos, work as the Resistance's custodian after she had tricked Poe into bringing her to their secret headquarters. Suralinda was dangerous because she was a journalist... but she had her worth and she wanted to help. And so Leia assigned her to a reconnaissance mission with Jess and Karé in order to find some dirt on the First Order and possibly earn donations for the Resistance. While the ladies are on their mission, Poe and Snap had another. They were tasked with finding the traitor, Oddy Muva, and that was easier said than done. They first went to his home in Abednedo, the Colonies Region, only to find his wife, Sowa, who explains all the unanswered questions Poe had swimming in his mind.

Oddy had to betray the Resistance because Terex had originally captured his wife in exchange for information. Oddy didn't do it for money or fame or safety, he did it for love and it made the ache of losing L'ulo hurt a little less. But regardless, Oddy needed to answer for his crimes and bring justice to the loss of their friend who sacrificed his life for Oddy. Sowa tells Snap and Poe where Oddy was heading and they take off... only to realize it was a trap a little too late.

The First Order had already gotten to Oddy and were currently interrogating him when Snap and Poe arrived. They were imprisoned, and in the meantime, Jess and the others were also rounded up by the First Order. It was looking to be a good day for Commander Malarus and her now brainwashed pet, Terex. 

But when Terex mysteriously frees Oddy and tells him where Snap and Poe are being kept, it seems as though Black Squadron is going to walk away pain-free after all. Poe and Snap quickly steal back their ships after their cell door mysteriously opened on its own. When they fly out, they noticed that their girls were in trouble and came flying over, guns blazing when Jess, Karé, and Suralinda were stranded on the ground. However, they didn't calculate all of the TIE fighters that started to surround the two X-Wings, but Poe and Snap were willing to take as many baddies as they could down with them if need be. Getting ready for the end, they didn't notice that one of the TIE fighters was attacking its own and buying the boys some time. Oddy had managed to take a TIE for his own and was finally piloting alongside the Black Squadron, just what he always wanted. 

He was able to get the rest of the TIE fighters to follow him as he heads straight towards the First Order's flagship. Systems were failing and there was no other way to ensure the rest of Black Squadron's safety.

"Find my wife. Tell her... tell her I died a pilot."

"Oddy, no!" 

"I loved you guys."

Snap and Poe barely flew away in time for the First Order ship to blow up along with the rest of the TIE fighters. When they picked up the girls and headed home, General Leia and Commander Skywalker were standing out on the landing strip, waiting for them. 

The team walked over to them, their heads lowered and eyes exhausted. Leia didn't say anything for a while, watching the youth of their faces deteriorate with the weight of war and loss slowly sinking into their pores. She's seen this look far too much in her time, and when she looked over at Elara, the younger woman fixed her a look that caused the General to sigh and turn away.

"You are all dismissed. Rest up and debrief me about the mission later."

Poe only nods as the General walks away, the others never bothering to say anything in return. As he stares at the ground, his vision is suddenly obstructed when a pair of boots step closer to his. Looking up, his eyes are swimming far beyond his control and can only make out the blurry silhouette of Elara as she stepped close to him. She reaches out and touches his arm, and he didn't know what to expect, but he wasn't prepared to feel some of the ache drain away from his body and spill into her touch. When he blinked, the tears fell and Poe could finally see her broken expression as she finally came to a conclusion as to what happened, but she doesn't pull her hand away from his arm.

"Oddy?" She guessed from the look in everyone's eyes and the aura surrounding them through the Force. They bore the look of someone who lost a friend, and it was a look she was all too familiar with. She looked back at Poe and saw the tears fall. Every cell in her body wanted to wipe those tears away and never see that look on Poe Dameron's face ever again. But she was able to restrain herself and instead holds her arms out to him with a soft gaze, "I'm sorry."

He looks at her with a weary expression before he gives in and leans into her embrace, letting her hold him in a makeshift hug as she looked over at the others. She pulls away from the hug awkwardly and nods to the Black Squadron, "Go. Get some rest."

No one says a word, and they walk away, Poe included.

~~~~~~~~~

A week had passed after Oddy's death, and even though they wanted to, they felt as though a funeral would be in poor taste. Oddy was their friend and he saved their lives, sure, but he still betrayed the Resistance, and not many others would consider him worthy of a funeral. Everyone knew he had no choice but to betray them. If anyone else were in his shoes, they would have done the same thing. Elara knows she would've, as she walked herself down the stairs towards the base. Elara knows she would've done the same despite being trained not to ever turn her back on the Jedi. She was her father's daughter after all.

"Hey, Skywalker!"

Elara turns back around to watch one of the new recruits -Roice she thinks his name was- jogging up to her from down the hall. When he reached her, his smile was sly and Elara didn't need to be a Jedi to already sense that she wasn't going to like this.

"I was listening in on one of your debriefings with the Black Squadron."

She raises an eyebrow, "If you were then you must have heard the part where the Black Squadron's missions are classified and that they are not to be shared with anyone outside of the Black Squadron."

"Ah, don't get your panties in a bunch, I didn't hear the whole damn lecture. I was distracted."

"I see," Elara nods, clutching her datapad tighter and thinning out her lips, "Then I guess you didn't really need to stop me in the middle of the hallway to tell me this. Good day, Captain."

She turns to leave only to be cut off by the man when he circles her, gluing himself to stand directly in front of her to cut herself short of a step and nearly collide with him.

"I was distracted because I kept watching your lips."

"That isn't a very good reason to be listening in on classified information," the young woman sneers while rolling her eyes, "If you want to just watch my lips, then how about you actually join your _own_ squadron's debriefings ever once in a while? Now, is there anything else you would like to discuss or can I get back to my job?"

"And what job is that exactly?"

To say the question stunned her was an understatement, "I'm sorry?"

"Your job," Roice nods over his shoulder, "You're a commander but I've never seen you out there fighting the good fight."

"I do other things besides fighting. I run background checks to try and find people we can trust with Resistance intelligence. I also calculate battle strategies and oversee preparations for top-secret missions that you. Shouldn't. Know about."

"Right," Roice rolls his eyes, "Like it's some big secret that the General is looking for her brother."

"So you _were_ listening."

"Nevertheless, I don't see you out there risking your neck for the cause," his voice drops into a sultry tone while looking at her, "So what gives you the right to claim the title Commander?"

Elara now sees where this was going, and she was put off by it considering that no one has ever questioned her authority before, "I'm also a Jedi. And my religion strictly states that I am to bring balance between the Light and the Dark Side. And since we're not technically at war with anyone, there is no need for me to fight on either side."

"Wow. Spoken like a true politician," Roice sneers, "I _hate_ politicians."

"Your opinion is noted," Elara responds without hesitation as she tries to move around him again, "Excuse me--"

"But you're not a full Jedi either, aren't you?" Roice continues to block her path with a mocking expression, "You're not a Master."

"And I don't intend on becoming one. I gave up the right to finish my training," Elara was growing impatient, spewing out responses to Roice's stupid ganders faster than a pod racer, "Excuse me-!"

Another step to block her, "So if you're not a _real_ Jedi and you've _never_ led a mission before, then really the only reason why you're a commander is that you just happened to be related to all the right people."

"Roice, for the _Force's_ sake," Elara raised her voice, her blood starting to boil, "Let me pass!"

"Now what kind of commander or even a Jedi would get so easily irritated by a simple captain asking simple questions?" Roice grins when he finally touched a nerve.

"She's a commander because she can be trusted."

Noting that the third voice didn't belong to Roice, Elara turned around to watch Poe Dameron walking up to join them with a hardened glare directed towards Roice, "More importantly, is that the _General_ trusts her."

"Hey, Poe," Roice greeted with the same, mocking grin as before, "Always the knight in shining armor, or so I am told about you."

"Oh, I'm just here because I just happened to smell your stench from down the hallway and wanted to tell you to take a shower," Poe shrugs nonchalantly and casually winks at Elara when she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, "I know Commander Skywalker can handle herself. She's been pretty restraint with you so far."

"Oh, yeah?" Roice squints suspiciously, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, for one, she doesn't have her lightsaber out, or Force-choking you against a wall, or shooting lightning at you from her fingertips," Poe turns to Elara, "Wait, is that a Sith thing or a Jedi thing?"

"I also own a blaster."

"She also owns a blaster," Poe turns back to Roice while raising his eyebrows impressively, "So I think she's been handling your arrogance pretty well without me."

"Or maybe because she doesn't want to get in trouble with her old auntie," Roice growls in response, his face turning red, "But I honestly doubt it. The old witch of a senator always looks the other way when her little princess is involved."

" _Excuse me_?" Her eyes narrow for the first time during this conversation and Poe had the good sense to feel like he should run if he were ever the target of that look. But he wasn't. Roice was the target and he was stupid enough to stand his ground as Elara stepped out in front of him while quirking an eyebrow at him, "I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Then your ears must be full of egotistical cotton, cause I said it."

Her frown perked up ever so slightly and Poe watched in amazement as her entire face that was once full of rage shifted and relaxed of any emotions. She looked calm and peaceful, but also powerful and full of purpose... like she was holding the whole cosmos in her hands and she had decided on sparing it. She kept direct eye contact with Roice while lowering her voice to sound as clear and smooth as water, running one of her hands up in a swift, slow motion in front of her, "You will apologize to me and Commander Dameron for wasting our time."

Without warning, Roice rolls his shoulders back, his posture straightening while retaining eye contact with Elara. His voice and facial expression also changed to stoic, his skin turning back to its normal color, "I will apologize to you and Commander Dameron for wasting your time," he slowly looks between her and Poe and holy shit he actually looks sincere, throwing Poe off, "I'm sorry."

"Now," Elara hums, keeping her hand trained on him, "You want to return to your bunk, and rethink your life."

"Now, I want to return to my bunk, and rethink my life."

"Yes, and you will do so while thinking about what the great Han Solo would do to you if he ever found out what you said today about General Leia Organa."

"Yes, and I will do so while thinking about what the great Han Solo would do to me if he ever found out what I said today about General Leia Organa."

"Then," Elara's grin returns, "You will wet yourself when you think about what General Leia Organa herself would do if she found out what you said about her today."

"Then," Roice repeats, "I will wet myself when I think about what General Leia Organa herself would do if she found out what I said about her today."

Poe bursts out laughing and Elara grins triumphantly once the spell is broken and Roice slowly walks away, still entranced until he makes it to his bunk. Elara lowers her hand to finally turn back to Poe and eyes him expectedly, "No one insults my family but me."

He smiles in return and lifted his arms in surrender, "Hey, don't worry about me. I got the message, loud and clear. I'm just glad that I had the privilege to see that."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Elara asks curiously as she now starts to walk in the direction Roice kept blocking her from. Poe follows and is at her heels in seconds.

"I was heading for drinks since Black Squadron appears to have a moment to relax. You're welcome to join us?"

"Sounds like fun. I could only imagine how even more reckless you might be when drunk," Elara snorts when Poe tries to feign a hurt expression, "But I think I'll pass. I need to get ready for a mission of my own."

"A mission? Really?" The pilot's ears nearly perked up and Elara hated to think how adorable she thought it looked, "What is it?"

"Classified to anyone who isn't General Organa or me," she winked, "I won't say the who, what, and where's, but I'm heading out to attend a few parties. The mission is strictly a political one, which, unfortunately, besides military battle strategy, is also my specialty. I'll be gone a week, tops. I'm going to be trying to cozy up and convince rich snobs to donate and sponsor the Resistance."

Poe hisses through his teeth in sympathy, "Well, I wouldn't want to be you."

"No one does," Elara laughs, "And I don't blame them."

"Oh, come on. Who _wouldn't_ want to be a Jedi?"

"I know a couple of Jedis who didn't," Elara hums thoughtfully, "And again, I don't blame them. The way of the Jedi is a strict religion. You have to be a balance in the Force, you cannot afford to feel any certain passionate emotions, you have to cut off all personal ties to your previous life--"

"Woah, wait, really?" Poe's eyes widened, "But... you and your father?"

"Do you want to know the _real_ reason why Darth Vader turned to the Dark Side?" When he nodded, Elara sighed, "It was because he was told that a Sith could have the power to keep people from dying. And Anakin Skywalker had a vision of his pregnant wife dying in childbirth. But he couldn't go to anyone about this vision because no one was supposed to know he was married. He and Padmé Amidala were husband and wife in secret, but a Jedi Knight and a Senator in the public eye. Regardless, Anakin turned to the Dark Side because he believed the Jedi betrayed him and his wife, and not only was he not able to save her, but he actually provoked her death. If he had done nothing, she would have probably lived and I would have a grandmother."

She took a deep breath and Poe patiently waited, knowing that she must have had a difficult time revealing all of this to him, "Luke and Leia should have never been born in the first place because Jedis are not allowed to have families. There are rules placed there for a reason. Of course, rules can be broken and we Skywalkers are known for breaking them."

Poe laughed wholeheartedly and Elara couldn't help but also smile, "Since my father was considered the Last Jedi, he could build up the new Jedi Order with his own set of rules in place. He freely married my mother and they had me, despite how much it would turn old Jedis over in their grave. I guess the same rules apply to me as well, but again, who says I have to follow them? My father and aunt are living proof as to why some rules should be broken."

"Like breaking away from General Organa's orders and bringing Black Squadron to come and rescue me and Threepio?" Poe smiled knowingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, did she tell you that?" Elara laughed and nodded, "I sort of lied earlier about that. Yes, Threepio didn't check-in and that's why I was worried... but something through the Force told me you were in trouble. And considering that Leia knows a thing or two about the Force, I think she let me go without putting up as much of a fight."

"Threepio _does_ take pride in knowing you and Leia the most," Poe hums, "He said he was there the day you were born."

The young Jedi scoffs, "Well if he was _I_ don't remember it."

They both laugh together this time until Poe snapped his fingers when remembering something, "You called him family earlier..."

She nods, "It's because he is. If the X-Wing was my nanny, then Threepio was my butler."

Poe laughed to the point where his sides hurt and had to bend down ever so slightly to catch his breath, "Then... then who was Artoo?"

"The drunk uncle," she lets Poe laugh out all of that energy before humming thoughtfully, "My aunt has always said... never underestimate a droid."

"Do you think you would join Black Squadron if we got you a good droid?" Poe grinned.

"Not on your life," she grinned back with a fond look in her eye, "My father had Artoo as his astromech droid, and if past war records serve me right then so did Anakin Skywalker. I would trust my life with him and only him. And until Artoo is back up and running, I won't fly with any other droid."

Poe nods with a fond smile, "That's fair. I get it. I really do."

"I know. Give Beebee-Ate my love when you find him. I should be getting ready to leave. It was nice chatting with you," She spun at her heel and waved over her shoulder, "See you around, Dameron."

Poe smiles and waves back, "May the Force be with you, Skywalker."


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this chapter was over 11,000 words but I cut it up into two parts and will post the second part of it shortly :) it is easily one of my favorites so far but I still have several chapters I need to polish up and publish!

Elara was trained to become a Jedi pretty much since she could walk. Both of her parents were Jedis and so they taught her everything they knew in that field, but there were other things young Elara picked up along the way. 

Since both of her parents and even her uncle were pilots, Elara quickly learned how to fly any and every type of ship. She knew how to fix them and even modify them. 

Other things she picked up on was smuggling. No one ever tried to hide that part of her mother's life and so Nora and Han flat out explained to the child that they used to smuggle anything and everything that got them and Chewbacca paid.

Her Aunt Leia was raised as a princess and later became a Senator, so from her aunt, Elara learned everything she needed to know about politics. For a short amount of time after her mother's death, Elara lived on Naboo and learned everything she needed to know if the occasion of ever becoming a Senator arrived. She was well on her way to becoming just as professional in that particular field like her aunt and even her grandmother. 

She's learned everything from her family, even those smallest things such as farming from her father. There was no limit to what she did or didn't know. 

And yet, she still couldn't detect that her solo mission was just about to turn into a disaster. But hey, nobody is perfect.

Upon landing in Coruscant, Elara had plans to meet up with one of her operatives before she had to attend to an extravagant party along with several other politicians. Exiting her ship, Elara strode across the landing platform like it was no one's business to tell her otherwise. She's met with a Balosar along with his security force of up to four soldiers. His name was Soule, and despite how much they despise each other, Elara trusted him to be her informant whenever she wasn't on Coruscant. They never saw eye-to-eye, but they usually respect that of each other... usually.

The humanoid male with antennae on top of his head bows in greeting to her, "Welcome to Coruscant, Elara Skywalker! I hope you had a safe journey."

"As always, Soule," she responds when she nods in greeting, and with one of her more practiced smiles.

"Yes, yes. A safe galaxy won by your family on Endor," the Balosar praises, "Coruscant will forever be grateful for everything your family has done for the galaxy. I just wish that it didn't have to be repaid in blood."

"We don't ask for anyone to give up their lives in another war, Soule," she wishes she didn't have the pleasure of knowing Soule for years mostly because he always had to argue with her no matter the circumstance, "We just want the galaxy to be prepared for the next time a war arrives."

"And in exchange you want us to fund for any future weaponry and fuel an army could possibly use against our women and children," Soule guides Elara from the landing platform and walks with her into the building, his security team closely following their heels.

"An army that will _protect_ your women and children, not destroy them," Elara corrects him as they make their way down the stairs, "We don't hurt innocents, Soule. The First Order does."

"So says you," he reminds her, "As so far we've seen the First Order do nothing of the sort."

"Not publicly."

" _Publicly_ is all that matters in politics, I'm afraid," Soule stops just beside a window while looking out onto the city, "You would know that better than anyone. Given your aunt publicly humiliated my father in front of the Galactic Senate and destroyed his reputation."

"You speak as though that was my fault."

"There was also your grandmother, Senator Amidala, who had to publicly hide her marriage and her pregnancy."

"Now _that_ is something that was definitely not my fault, considering I was not around."

"Still, it makes me wonder why any of these people should trust you with their money and support when none of the women in your family were very honest politicians," Soule turns to watch her facial expression with a smug grin.

"But you can trust _me_ , Soule. You want to know why?" Elara leans in close with an intimidating smile, which isn't that hard to perform considering that she had a good three inches of height on the smaller, humanoid male, "Because I'm not a politician. I'm not a Senator. Hell, I'm not even a Jedi, but I was trained to be. And Jedi were meant to be honest peacekeepers. My focus isn't public fame or democracy... it's the well-being and peace between all living creatures."

"None of that matters if you're a _Skywalker_ now does it?" Her face falls at the accusation and Soule smiles in victory while lightly adding, "A Skywalker _and_ a Tade, no less. Who would ever trust a mixture of the two?"

"You said it yourself... the galaxy owes a great deal to my family. They _did_ take down the Empire single-handedly if you don't remember," Elara glares, "I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would trust war heroes."

"And yet, you can't find anyone to fund your aunt's little -what was it you called it?- Resistance?"

"That's what I pay _you_ for, Soule," Elara hissed, "To find my aunt funds. Now... what _did_ you find?"

"The Patrolians are already sponsoring First Order sympathizers," Soule drops the debate and discreetly lowers his voice while looking out the window again.

Elara slouches her shoulders in relief of the argument ending and joins him at the window to watch the view, "Where do the funds go?"

"Mostly down the chutes of Canto Bight, but what else is new?"

"Did you find _anyone_ who might possibly believe in Leia's cause?"

"Oh, so we're using her name now?" Soule grins, "I thought we were always discreet during these meetings?"

" _Soule_."

His sharp eyebrow raises while trying to read something on her face that she must not be good at hiding, "Something's changed. It's the only reason why you're so tense, clearly. What is it?"

A snarl formed on her lips, refusing to look at the Balosar and instead watches the busy city outside even as the day slowly turns to night and lights coming on in every spot she looked. She takes a deep breath before quietly explaining the situation, "I've lost two men to the First Order. Both deaths had come very close to raging all-out war with them, but nobody knows about it. The First Order is far more discreet and slimy than I realized. We've been trying to get any dirt on them to bring to the New Republic, but nothing sticks any more. Unless they have a Sith openly trying to terrorize the people of the galaxy like the Empire, the First Order remains to look squeaky clean in everyone's book."

"But not yours?"

"...My family fought the Empire. _That_ was their fight... and they fought so that we could live," she points between herself and Soule before turning back to stare out the window, "So that we could have a future. They all rose up and rebelled because they no longer wanted to be oppressed. Thirty years later and another threat rises up to take the Empire's place... and I could see the look in their eyes. My parents, Leia, Han... I saw that same tired, battered, beaten, defeated look in their eyes when we first heard about the First Order. They're too old for this fight. They fought the first war to bring peace and now another war threatens to rise and _destroy_ that peace? It's like no one wants my family to retire and be happy... and my mother gave her life for the First Order to finally start showing their true colors. It's not fair, and I know better than anyone that life is never fair when there's a war going on, but I just want my family to rest. And if that means that I fight instead of them... so be it."

Soule lowers his head, all form of teasing and arrogance went as he, for once, appeared sincere, "...You know if you talk like that at the party tonight, you might actually get some sponsors."

She snorts in disbelief, still looking out to admire the view, "You think so?"

"I really do. I always admired that about you, Elara. For someone who has never seen a war, you sure are prepared to take a hit and get back up again. I understand that you've technically been trained from the time you could walk to be ready for a fight, but it's definitely inspiring, nonetheless."

"That..." she licks her lips while trying to form words, "Has to be the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Soule."

"I'm afraid it'll be the last time, too."

Elara paused for a moment before turning to him fully with a suspicious glance as she picks up something in the tone of his voice. The minute she locks onto the short man's eyes, she felt something snap within the Force and she goes to grab her blaster.

Her entire body tenses and jolts with electricity instead as something hits in her in the center of her back, and she was unable to scream as her tongue goes numb from the electrocution. Her muscles seize up and she falls to the ground, writhing over the tiled floor until her body grows stiff and paralyzed. The only thing she was able to move was her eyes as several stormtroopers surround and bend down to her.

"Well done, Soule," a new, authoritative female voice comes from over Elara's shoulder once the stormtroopers stand her up, and she couldn't help but notice that the new voice sounded muffled from what could possibly be a helmet or mask. 

Elara couldn't feel the stormtroopers search her but watched as they confiscate her blaster and the few hidden knives that she always kept on her. She finally matches the new female voice to the very tall stormtrooper with a dark cape over one shoulder and a very distinct salvaged chromium for the armor. If reputations proceed, this was none other than Captain Phasma, the commanding officer of the First Order's legions of stormtroopers. Elara would have felt honored and would have voiced as much if she weren't temporarily paralyzed. 

"I did my part, as promised," Soule nods to Phasma while watching the stormtroopers with weary eyes, "So will the First Order keep theirs?"

"You are correct. If you check your datapad now, you will see that all of the payment has already been sent to you, along with a little extra bonus for your troubles."

The stormtroopers grab each of Elara's arms and drag her backward down the hall, letting her heels drag across the tiles. She watches the confusion sprout over Soule's face as he looks down at his datapad then up at Phasma, who stood over him just as easy as Elara once did, except she had a blaster nestled in her arms.

"I don't understand," Soule admits, "What _troubles_?"

Then Soule's own security team drew their own blasters and shot through his back and out his chest several times, only stopping when he finally fell to the ground dead. Once the blaster fire faded away, Phasma looked up from the body and nodded towards the security team, "You all have been given an equal share of his payment. Thank you for supporting the First Order."

Then Captain Phasma stiffly turns and marches in pursuit of her soldiers dragging Elara ahead of her. It didn't take long before Elara found herself back outside on one of the many landing strips, only this time she was placed in a First Order transport ship instead of her own. She can at the very least feel her tongue again and possibly her toes, other than that, she was completely powerless as the stormtroopers sit her down and cuff her hands in front of her. They also cuff her ankles and then her neck, and Elara has to give them credit for being so cautious. They were definitely smarter than the Empire if she has all those stories her parents told her to go by.

Captain Phasma boards the ship just before the engines start and immediately turns to stand just in front of Elara, "Well, Commander Skywalker. If you haven't figured it out already, you are now my prisoner. I must admit that I'm impressed. Up until a couple of weeks ago, the First Order had no idea of your existence. Had you not shown your face when Malarus was sent to obtain the traitor, Terex, we would have never known about you. But, alas, it appears we have begun the process of wiping away all of the last living Jedi clean of the galaxy."

Elara pokes the inside of her cheek with her tongue while finally gaining the full feeling of her mouth back. She nods to the door of the ship that was now starting to take off, "You didn't have to kill Soule."

Phasma's voice never wavers from its usual monotone as she doesn't hesitate to respond almost like a robot, "I'm afraid we did. He said it himself... politicians cannot be trusted. His security force? They are much easier to pay and keep happy in order to stay quiet."

Elara nods in agreement. She couldn't argue with that, "You're smart... You took the needed precautions in apprehending me. You electrocuted me, driving me into paralysis so I would be unable to fight my way out."

"You were trained to be a Jedi. A Force-user cannot be trusted with their hands, weaponless or not."

"True. And you've even tied down my legs and Hell even my neck. It is indeed smart. But have you ever heard of the Force Mind Trick?"

"Indeed we have. We've been told that you know this ability all too well. But we also know that you can't mind control several beings at once. So even if you _were_ to try and take control of me, there are still over a dozen of my men on this ship who would still be able to raise their guns to you."

Elara sets her jaw in frustration and only stares up at Phasma with a fixed gaze in response. It was like that for the majority of the trip before the transport ship no doubt reunited with what must be a Star Destroyer that was waiting just outside the atmosphere of Coruscant. The small transport jolts for a moment before settling and Captain Phasma only nods before the stormtroopers grab Elara and drag her off the ship. The entire time she was being handled, she didn't try to fight back as she started to get a feeling in her fingers. She knew that there was no chance of escape as long as her bonds are trapping her hands and feet. Instead, she looks around, trying to make sense of the First Order's ship while the soldiers drag her to the nearest holding cell. There was a moment where Elara had a potential window to escape when they had taken off her cuffs, but Phasma had her blaster trained right on Elara's forehead, so the young Skywalker didn't dare try anything. Once she was free of her bonds, the stormtroopers pushed her inside the holding cell and she fell to the floor when she remembered she still hasn't found stability in her legs yet.

Phasma peers into the small window of the holding cell while informing her prisoner, "Kylo Ren will be arriving tomorrow to personally interrogate you."

Her blood runs cold and the feeling in her fingers grow numb. Her heart picks up in speed and she suddenly feels short of breath. With no other thoughts running through her head, Elara stands up with a ragged look in her eyes while staring dead at Phasma's helmet where her eyes were supposed to be, "If you _think_ I would rather be in the presence of Kylo Ren than be _dead_ , you're wrong."

Her quick movements draw Phasma to raise her blaster but she doesn't make a move as she carefully watches Elara sit up and fetch out a necklace from under her clothes. Attached to the necklace was a small vial and before Phasma could yell at her to stop, Elara unstoppered the vial and drinks the entire thing in one go.

She takes a deep breath before tossing the vial aside, already feeling her eyes grow heavy as she grins up at the Captain, "Tell Kylo Ren to go screw himself. I'll let you deal with his temper tantrum."

"NO!"

She doesn't remember anything after that as she falls to the cold floor surrounded by darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~

"General."

Leia looks up from the spot on the floor she must have been staring at for several minutes. The room was dark apart from the lights she left on, and Poe looked concerned, to say the least.

"Are you alright? Any particular reason why you called me here in the middle of the night?"

"I need your help," Leia lets out a shaky breath, "My niece has been kidnapped by the First Order."

She spares a glance up at Poe and noticed the look of horror in his eyes before he quickly tries to regain his composure and act professionally again, his gaze hardened, " _When_?"

"Several hours ago."

"How do you know this?"

"When she left, I told her to ping her location to me by certain times on the dot," she glares at the pilot when she noticed that questioning look, "Don't do that! I am allowed to worry. And just now she didn't respond. Also, I... I sensed it, through the Force. I need your help saving her. And it needs to be done before this time tomorrow."

"What do you mean, General?"

"Elara and I share two necklaces filled with poison," Leia reaches for her neck and pulls out a chain from her shirt with a small vial hanging off the end of it, "It's a form of biotoxin; one of a kind. And it's our fail-safe. We made a pact that if we were ever captured, we would never give the First Order any information. What we also share is this one little vial," she holds up the second object after digging it out of her pocket, "The cure to the poison. She leaves it with me whenever she leaves the base, and I leave it with her vice versa. After the poison is injected, you have 24 hours to inject the cure before the heart stops completely. And no doubt my niece injected the poison almost immediately after being captured, which means you have even less time than that to find her."

Poe tries but fails to hide his worry this time, a rushed breath of air escaping him while his eyes droop. He looks between Leia and the vile before forming words, "Do we know where she's being taken?"

"...We don't," Leia pockets the cure again and folds her arms, "And until you bring her back here so that I can give her the cure, my niece is as good as dead."

"Why not bring the cure to her?"

"It's too dangerous, Poe. What if the First Order realizes you're bringing the cure to her? Then they'll just lie and wait, use her as bait. By the end of the day, you'll both be captured," Leia sighs in frustration while resting her forehead in her hand, staring down at the floor, "I was foolish to let her go out on a mission alone. It's not safe for her right now."

"Woah, what are you talking about?"

"The First Order will not rest until the Last Jedi is destroyed. That's why we've been trying to find Luke as fast as possible. And as far as I know, Luke and Elara are indeed the last of their kind, putting her in as much danger as he is. But she's barely left the base for her to be considered a target up until now, and there's no doubt the First Order discovered she was alive when she led the Black Squadron to save you from Terex," a spike of guilt reaches Poe's chest and the General continues without noticing, "But now that they have her, the only reason she's still alive is that she has valuable intel that can give the First Order a crutch against our forces."

"Which is why you should let Black Squadron bring the cure to her," Poe reasons with a desperate look in his eye, "With all due respect, General, less than 24 hours is not a lot of time to find someone in such a huge galaxy. We've already been struggling at finding your brother for the past few months, how do we find Elara in a little less than a day?"

"We have a lead, Poe, and we're going to have to take it. I know what quadrant she disappeared in. She had landed on Coruscant but never made it to the event she was supposed to attend tonight. At least we have a place we can look because as far as we know, the First Order has no way to tell that we've noticed Elara is missing. I want you and Black Squadron to run a rescue operation and bring Elara back to me where I can give her the cure, but there are no other options where we can bring the cure _to_ her."

Leia fixes Poe with a glare that causes the pilot to tense up before slowly deflating in defeat. He sighs, tired, and frustrated before nodding, "I understand, General. When do we leave?"

"The sooner the better. Take this with you," Leia turns to grab something off her desk and presents Poe with Elara's lightsaber, "No doubt you might have to fight your way out if the First Order catches on that you're rescuing her."

"No doubt," he agrees and clips the lightsaber to his belt. He turns around to walk to the door but stops. He must have stared at the door for several moments while his mind buzzes with several thoughts. After a while, Poe growls under his breath and turns back around. He struts up to the General and gently places his hands on Leia's shoulders, trying to flash a comforting smile, "We'll get her back, Leia. I promise."

Leia must have been holding her breath up until that point as her shoulders sag against Poe's hands and sigh loudly. She tugs a small smile up at him before light-heartedly patting his arm, "I know."

His eyes gleam a little before he pulls away and hurries out of the door. Leia deflates and slowly walks around her desk to sit down, resting her face in her hands while trying to pull herself together.

~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take long for Poe to wake up the rest of his team along with half the base in his frantic acts at getting his ship up and running as fast as possible. Once they knew the situation, Snap, Karé, and Jessika all dawn their helmets and sprint to their ships, their astromech droids practically rolling back and forth and in circles in all of the chaos.

"Poe, _relax_ ," Jess tries easing her leader's worries as he tries frantically tightening the wires of his engine before slamming the compartment shut in such a haste, "Skywalker is... well, _almost_ a Jedi. She is completely capable of handling herself."

Dameron takes a moment to pause and relay Jessika's words back in his mind before letting out a long breath and trailing his fingers through his hair, "You're right..."

Jess smiles gently before turning away to prep her ship, unaware that Poe was starting to twitch uncharacteristically again behind her back. Snap does, however, and jogs over to pat Poe's back, "You alright, Black Leader?"

"I... I mean, you should have seen the look on the General's face. It's like she knows the odds of us finding her niece alive are slim. I worry about her."

Snap scoffs half-heartedly while egging his leader on, "Come on, Poe. We all know why you're _really_ worried about Commander Skywalker," for the moment, Poe looks taken off guard and fixes his friend a confused look. Wexley chuckles before continuing, "We also know that the two of you like to be around one another."

Poe's eyes widen once he realizes what Snap is implying before turning his gaze down to stare at his hands, "Elara comes around to see me because she wants to know if we've gotten any closer to finding her father."

"Anyone with a pair of eyes knows that Elara isn't exactly fond of Luke Skywalker. I once saw her physically wince like she was in pain at the very mention of him," Snap recalls with a distant look before explaining further, "I get that way sometimes whenever someone mentions my ma. But I'm no fool, Poe. And neither are the rest of your team. We've seen the way she got when she recruited us to save you. We've seen the way you get her to laugh even when no else on base ever could. There's definitely some form of connection between the two of you that you might not understand yet, but you will eventually."

"Snap," Poe tries to sturdy his voice, "There's literally no time for that."

"Do you think that way whenever you see me and Karé?"

"No, of course not! You guys are--"

"Meant for each other? Obviously. We make each other happy," Snap chuckles in amusement of Poe's denial while patting his shoulder again, "And you may be one of the happiest guys I've ever met, Poe, but Skywalker makes you shine brighter than any star we've ever flown through, buddy."

Snap walks away before Poe could get another word in, driving the Black Leader into further frustration as BB-8 announces they're ready to go. Poe has never heard better news and completely forgets Snap's words as he quickly snatches his helmet up and shoves it over his head without much care for his hair. He climbs up the ladder and into the cockpit, flipping a few of the switches as both engines on either side warm-up and rattle both wings. The others have gotten into their ship as well and Poe sends them the coordinates.

"Ready to go!" Karé announces once she's strapped in, the others also saying the same thing.

"Alright, listen up. We now have less than 12 hours to bring Skywalker back alive," Poe explains as the ships start to levitate in the air and rise higher into the sky, "This rescue mission requires us to get upfront and personal with the First Order. Let's try not to start a war while we're at it."

"Copy that."

Poe grips the controls and glares up at the stars ahead of him, more focused and determined now more than ever. He lost L'ulo, he lost Oddy, and he refused to lose another.

"Jumping into lightspeed in three... two... one..."

~~~~~~~~~

Leia hears the ships take off from her office and closes her eyes, willing the Force around her, and praying for the team's safe return along with Elara's. The General reaches into her pocket for the cure to the poison, only to come up empty. Blinking in confusion, Leia looks down into her pocket and searches again before coming to the conclusion that the vial is officially gone. Looking around her office, Leia thinks back to the last time she had it and remembers Poe's hands on her shoulders.

Leia nearly swore as a startled smile graces her face at the thought of Poe Dameron pickpocketing her, "You sneaky little... Where did he learn to do _that_?"

~~~~~~~~~

Once jumping out of lightspeed, Poe's X-Wing creaks uncomfortably but he ignores it as the others stop next to him with their eyes set on the planet Coruscant... but no Star Destroyer insight.

"There it is..." Jess mutters out loud at the sight of the planet.

Poe looks around over the vast sea of stars around them but comes up empty, "Fly around the planet. Let's see if we can spot them."

The ships veer off and start to make their journey around the large planet. For the majority of the impending ride, everyone is silent, most likely tense about what they might or might not find once they get to the other side. The entire time they glide over the planet's orbit, Poe is antsy and side-eyeing the clock. It was a long haul between D'Qar and Coruscant even with lightspeed, and with the possibility that the Star Destroyer has already taken off into hyperspace, Elara will only have a handful of hours left.

"Poe, I'm coming close to the other side."

He looks away from the clock for the tenth time and watches Jessika's X-Wing glide in front of the others, closer to the outer edge of Coruscant, "Tell me something good, Testor."

The others take it to good heart that Poe is going by nicknames again, but they hold their breath nonetheless as they watch Jess grow closer over the other side of the planet, almost out of sight of the other ships. 

"I see it! I see the Star Destroyer!"

Poe nearly deflates in relief, sinking back into his seat as the other ships closely follow Jess. Before long, they make it to the other side of the planet and see what Jess was seeing. Low and behold, the Star Destroyer was still there, just hovering above Coruscant's atmosphere. 

"So what's the plan, boss?" Karé asked.

"Yeah, there's no way our ships can get away undetected by that thing," Snap points out.

Dameron ponders on this for the total time of a few seconds before explaining, "Not unless we have a distraction. Karé, you're with me. Snap and Jess, fly down towards Coruscant to gain the Star Destroyer's attention. Meanwhile, Karé and I will come up from behind them and sneak on board."

"There's going to be several stormtroopers swarming the place, Poe," Karé exclaims, "How are we going to sneak around on board without getting caught? We don't even know where they're hiding Skywalker."

He hadn't thought about that and can feel his brain hurting with several, reckless ideas in mind, groaning to himself, "Let me think..."

It was only silent for a matter of seconds before Jess carefully explains, "Poe, I hate to make you feel pressured, but Skywalker doesn't have that much time for you to think."

Poe curses and just settles with his best idea, "Alright, let's try this. Perhaps we draw their fire towards our distractions. I don't want you to be the ones to start firing, but Snap and Jess if you guys are able to piss them off, I suggest you give it your best. As the stormtroopers start to empty out of the Star Destroyer to focus their efforts on the two of you, Beebee-Ate will hack into their computer and figure out where Skywalker's holding cell is located. Karé will watch my six while I go and give Skywalker the cure and her lightsaber."

"Copy that."

Snap decides to slide in one sly comment, "Behave yourself with my girlfriend."

Karé laughs and Poe wasn't ashamed to admit that he smiled a little, too, "You guys stay safe."

"Will do!"


	6. Chapter Five

After the team broke off into two groups, Poe had a small rush of confidence that this will work. He and Karé sneak around back and wait for Snap's signal before they land their ships inside the Star Destroyer. Whatever Snap and Jess did, it worked as a bunch of stormtroopers quickly left in a bunch of TIE fighters and emptied out the hangar bay for them. Poe practically leaps out of his X-Wing with BB-8 and Karé in tow, the latter holding onto her blaster and constantly looking over her shoulder as she brings up the rear of their small train when sneaking down the cold, dark hallways.

"Alright, Beebee," Poe beckons his droid over, "Do your magic."

The small droid beeps a sarcastic comment back to his pilot before rolling over and entering one of his extractable digits into the access panel. Before long, he's in the ship's system and quickly navigates to where Elara's holding cell might be. He lets out a celebratory shrill and informs Poe of the good news.

"Cell Block 221-B," Poe whispers, and Karé nods in confirmation.

"It's a long way, Poe. And I hate to break it to you, but the color orange kinda sticks out like a sore thumb here."

He sets his jaw while thinking because she's right. Orange wasn't exactly the best color to be sneaking around in while inside a Star Destroyer that only consists of a few shades of greys, whites, and blacks for color schemes, "We'll need a disguise. Beebee-Ate?"

The droid is already way ahead of him and beeps when he discovers a uniform closet nearby.

"As long as it's not stormtrooper armor," Karé growls under her breath, "I'd rather die. Besides, I'm too short to be a stormtrooper."

But it somehow was even worse than she originally thought. When they snuck over there, the closet was full of officer uniforms. Fitting themselves into the tight and stiff boots and crested command caps, Karé finds herself complaining under her breath the entire time as the jacket she fit herself into was tight and constricting around the chest.

Poe wasn't exactly thrilled with the outfits either as he tries desperately to stretch out and loosen the high collar choking his neck, "This is definitely itchier than stormtrooper armor."

"How would _you_ know?"

He only grins in response and out of the corner of his eye, he notices BB-8. It takes him a long second before he curses under his breath and looks around, "We need to hide Beebee."

BB-8 appears affronted as he beeps angrily and rolls out of Poe's reach, his master shaking his head, "There isn't a First Order disguise for you, buddy. I'd feel better if you stayed hidden and kept a look-out for us."

Karé kneels down to hand BB-8 a small communicator and then stands back up to join Poe's side, "He's right, Beebee-Ate. Sorry."

If that droid could mutter swear words under his breath, he would as he rolls into the closet and the two humans close him in. Once the droid was hidden, Poe and Karé take off down the hallway while constantly checking their corners. They find an elevator and hop in, heading down lower to the holding cells of the ship. They exit the elevator while trying not to appear antsy or out of place, being sure to look discreet and lower their heads if they walk by an officer or stormtrooper. They march stiffly together until they know the coast is clear and the hallways are empty. Then they break out into a run while inwardly counting down the time.

"Poe, I think we only have an hour left."

"I know, I know."

"And I don' think the others could hold off those TIE fighters forever."

"I know, Karé!" He whispers under his breath, "Just run faster!"

She does so without question and without protest. Once they get to the control room for the holding cells, they pass by the doorway as quietly as possible so as no one who could possibly be inside would hear. They try avoiding the cameras at all costs, and if unable to, Karé takes them out with her blaster.

"We gotta hurry," Poe reminds her, "They'll notice their cameras are damaged."

"There! I see the cell block."

"Great," they both stop just around the corner to the holding cell and Poe turns back to his partner, "Stay here and keep watch. I'll be right back."

He spins around and sprints down the hallway, finding the right cell before practically punching the control panel to open the door. His breathing was erratic as his heart was beating rapidly from lack of oxygen and the constant anxiety running through his head. Poe felt as though the cell doors took forever to open when it was only a few seconds, the metal doors sliding open without much of a sound, leading into a dark room. He rushed in without thinking, without checking for danger or anything besides the body in the middle of the room he immediately slid down to his knees to reach. His breathing is the only thing he hears as he pulls the body towards him, finally recognizing the face of Elara when he turned her over. Her face was ashen and cold and her skin almost appeared translucent as Poe could spot several veins lining her body that he was pretty sure wasn't normal.

Hurriedly, he rips open the front of the constricting officer jacket and reaches for the vial nestled right next to his mother's ring underneath his shirt and breaking it off the chain. His hands shook as he reached for a syringe in his first aid kit hidden in the pocket of his pants, and he growls in response to his body betraying him. Once he was finally able to slide the needle into the small vial without missing, he extracts the liquid and tosses the now-empty vial against the wall, watching it shatter and destroy further evidence. He then takes the syringe in his hand and tries to find a good vein in the side of Elara's neck, trying not to notice how he couldn't feel a pulse when he injected the cure.

Throwing the empty syringe across the room, Poe could only feel his heartbeat rushing in his ears like a TIE fighter as he anxiously waits to feel or hear a response to Elara's body accepting the cure. Holding her cold form close to him for warmth, his hands on either side of her face, Poe begins whispering to himself in hopes she could hear him, "Come on, come on..."

Nothing changes. Her skin was still paper-white and cold, her eyelids shut and unmoving. The small frown her lips formed was beginning to lose color. Poe can hear footsteps in the distance, looking up at the cell door and feeling trapped knowing that the enemy was probably coming here.

"Skywalker," he looked back down and shook her gently, "Come on now. Don't you dare quit on me."

The footsteps were closer now, marching in rhythm as Poe counted maybe half a dozen stormtroopers on their way. The panic has now settled in and the hope was draining from his eyes. Determined to see the General and her niece reunite, Poe continues to shake the body in his arms with a little more force than intended.

"Come on!" He snapped, " _Elara_!"

And just like a match to a flame, all color rushed back to the young woman's cheeks as her eyes shot open. Poe nearly startles in fright as the once-quiet cell is disturbed by the one, solid gasp inhaled from Elara. She starts to cough out her breaths, choking until Poe finally reacted and helped her sit up, patting her back roughly while trying to encourage her to breathe properly.

"That's it, that's it," he mutters, unable to stop the splitting grin on his face and the spark in his eye, "Atta girl."

"Dameron?" She managed to wheeze out, looking at him then around at the cell, "Where are we?"

"You would know if you hadn't dosed yourself with poison right after you were captured," Poe eyes her with a knowing look before standing up and checking the door. It slides open as he calls BB-8 through the communicator to warm up the engines to their ships as he checks both sides of the hall before walking back to Elara, "We're getting out of here. Let's go."

He crouches down to help Elara to her feet. It takes a moment for her to regain her thoughts before frowning, "The cure was only meant to be used if I were brought back to the Resistance, not before. Otherwise, I could just get captured all over again."

"Not with this, you're not," he shoves something into her hands, and looking down she's shocked to see her lightsaber, "And FYI, it had already been 24 hours by the time I found you so if I had waited, you would for sure be dead."

She only glares up at him in response but the moment was cut short when a blaster shot rings out from down the hallway and Karé yells out in warning, "POE! We've got company!"

Poe turns back to Elara and fixes her a hard look, "Ready for a fight?"

Her skin still looked slightly pale as she stares down at her lightsaber and her hair falls over her eyes in shame, "I... I haven't used my lightsaber since I was a teenager."

Poe's eyes widen, the confession nearly taking the air from his lungs, "Wait, _what_? Why?"

The next glare is much deadlier than the last one as Poe came to terms with the possibility of dying today, "That's the _one_ thing I never want to share with you, Dameron."

For a moment, he pauses his initial thoughts while drawing his blaster. He stares down at Elara and slowly grins with excitement, "But there are other things...?"

She snorts in amusement and pockets her lightsaber, "Just follow my lead, Flyboy."

"What, so you want _me_ to go weaponless, too?"

"No, just have my back and I'll take point," Elara is quick to spring into action for someone who was just revived by a small dose of elixir, but Poe brushes it off to be part of her training as she steps out into the hallway and looks down the corridor from where Karé was taking heavy fire, "KUN! Get out of the way!"

Karé looks back and her eyes widen at the sight of Elara. Without so much as asking why Karé side-steps out of range of the stormtroopers firing back at her and Elara raises her arm. A second later, the stormtroopers are pushed back with an unforeseeable force and hit the opposite wall at the very end of the hallway, clearing a path for the Resistance pilots.

Poe steps out of the cell and looks between the knocked out soldiers and Elara before beckoning Karé over, "Let's go!"

The three of them sprint down the opposite hall of the stormtroopers and find the closest elevator. Heading up, the alarms begin to go off and it only pushes them to run faster once the elevator doors open. They are able to find the closet they left BB-8 in and bring the droid along, although he was much faster than them as he quickly caught up and even rolled ahead.

"Beebee-Ate, those ships better be ready!" Poe calls ahead as they're suddenly surrounded by blaster fire, but they don't waste their time with stopping and firing back. They just keep running and pray they don't get hit.

They thankfully make it to the hangar without any accidents and Karé turns around to start firing back, covering Poe and Elara as they climb up and squeeze into his X-Wing while BB-8 is manually brought up from beneath the ship. Dameron didn't think this part through as Elara had to practically sit in his lap and now he couldn't see much of the controls.

"I won't be able to fly like this," he comments out loud.

"Luckily for you, I'm the better pilot anyway," Elara confidently announces as she takes control of the X-Wing and activated the gun placed below the belly of the ship. The gun turns and aims at the stormtroopers firing at Karé and Elara pulls the trigger, raining down blaster fire in order to cover Karé while the other woman climbs into her own ship. Once she's safely inside, Karé also fires at the stormtroopers until both X-Wings lift into the air and fly out of the Star Destroyer.

"Snap, Jess, where are you?" Poe comms them through his helmet.

"A little busy right now, Poe!"

"Did you get Skywalker?"

"Yeah, I got her," Poe quickly retracts that statement when Karé clears her throat, " _We_ got her. You think you can get away from the fun long enough to jump into lightspeed?"

"I think we can manage that," Jess offers almost playfully, and Snap laughs.

"You should have seen it! We even took out some of their guns!"

Poe was able to look over Elara's shoulder enough to see Snap and Jessika's ships in the distance, currently avoiding the TIE fighters to the best of their ability. As Elara and Karé try to fly over and provide their friends some cover, a separate ship suddenly appears from out of hyperspace and everyone looks on in confusion.

Poe noticed Elara's form went entirely stiff at the sight of a dark Upsilon-class command shuttle slowly flying towards them and he tried looking at the side of her face to see her reaction, "What is that?"

"Not what. _Who_ ," Elara grits out from clenching her teeth too tightly, "It's Kylo Ren. We need to leave... _now_."

Poe nods in understanding and speaks into his helmet, "Black Squadron, fall back and set coordinates for D'Qar. Let's get the Hell out of here!"

"Copy that, Black Leader."

Before long, all of Poe's teammates surround him and Elara and they set their course before it was too late. They don't even hesitate to jump into lightspeed before Kylo Ren's ship even had a chance to realize they were there and it was only when they were in lightspeed did Elara finally relax.

"Woo hoo!" Jess cheers over the radio.

"Yes! That was awesome!" Snap laughs obnoxiously, "Hey, babe! Did you see me?"

"I saw you, old man," Karé chuckles in amusement while BB-8 beeps to echo laughter.

The bright, flashing lights passing by the window ignited Elara's fair skin and dark hair as Poe tries not to notice how she leans back a little into him while taking a deep breath. He doesn't have to find anything to say, however, as BB-8 seems keen to ask Elara how she's feeling.

Poe could see the corner of her lips tug up gently while staring out the window, "I'm okay. Thanks, buddy."

"Why are you thanking _him_?" Poe grins with amusement, "All he did was locate your cell. Karé and I did most of the dirty work."

"Excuse me!" Jess playfully snaps back, "Did _you_ have to agitate and avoid TIE fighters without firing back?!"

Elara laughs quietly, "Thanks, Black Squadron."

"Hey, you've had _our_ backs in the past," Karé replies with a genuine tone, "You led us to help save Poe and you even shielded me from harm when my X-Wing was nearly shot out of the sky."

"Consider us even," Snap says light-heartedly while adding a wink sent Elara's way through their separate windows as he flew beside her and Poe. Elara couldn't deny the smile that grew on her face from the encouragement of the Black Squadron members.

~~~~~~~~~

Before long, they were jumping out of lightspeed again and D'Qar was just beneath them. Poe lets Elara take the controls and land the X-Wing without a single problem. Although she did complain the entire time she was landing his ship, saying something about how Poe keeps the controls too tight to the console or something or other. He wasn't fully paying attention as he smiles, just being glad she was back home now.

As she climbs off his lap and down the ladder of the X-Wing, Poe was finally able to fully see out the window and noticed that General Leia was standing alone several yards away from where the Black Squadron's ships have parked, in the middle of the landing strip outside of base.

Poe climbs out and jumps down from his ship, following Elara closely once she had noticed Leia was waiting for them. Elara slowly approached her aunt, appearing cautious as she kept her hands folded in front of her and refusing to make eye contact with Leia. She looked ashamed as Poe watched Elara stand in front of the shorter woman, looking as though a child had just been caught breaking their mother's vase.

The young woman licks her lips and blinks quickly before straightening her posture and clearing her voice, although hesitant, "General."

Leia rolls her eyes, shaking her head in amusement before letting a tight breath escape her lips in relief. Stepping closer, the General reaches up and pulls Elara down into a tight hug, who immediately responds by hugging her back. Poe folds his arms and smiles at the sight of an aunt reuniting with her niece instead of a General with her consort.

"Don't ever do that again," Leia whispered just barely loud enough for Poe to hear, her eyelashes wet even when she pulls away.

That's not to say Elara didn't get a lecture in the war room after she was fully examined by a medic droid. Leia was more than happy to fulfill the role of a mother by telling her brother's child how extremely dangerous that was of her and how incredibly stupid it was to get captured, leading Poe to come and rescue her and so on and so forth.

But at least Elara wasn't alone in the lecture. Poe got an earful as well for disobeying Leia's direct orders and stealing her vial of the cure to bring to Elara.

"With all due respect, General. She was barely alive when I found her," Poe's voice was grim and his frown stoic when reporting this to Leia, "I couldn't wait to bring her back only for you to give her the cure _here_. I would have been bringing you back a body bag."

Leia visibly shivers, putting her hand to her mouth while in deep thought. She then turns to Elara, softly speaking, "I could only imagine what your mother's ghost would do to me if that happened."

"Who cares?" Elara suddenly snaps, snarling in irritation, "You all treat me like I'm still a kid. I'm almost thirty years old for Kriff sake! You always mention my mother and what she would have done or how much she'd be proud of me, but she's gone now and there's only me left behind. _You_ and me," Elara points at the General, "And _we_ made a promise. We had that fail-safe put there for a reason and you went and let Dameron break it!"

"I didn't let him do _anything_ , Elara," Leia's eye narrowed, "He disobeyed a direct order."

"You know, I'm really starting to think that you recruited him because he reminds you of _Han_ , not Luke," the young Skywalker rolled her eyes, "Because if you did, then you should have expected him to do reckless shit and break the rules."

"Uh, hello? I'm right here," Poe muttered.

"Poe Dameron saved your _life_ , Elara," Leia grumbled a warning at her niece, "You can blame me for breaking our fail-safe all you want, but don't blame him for saving my family."

Elara deflates, casting a glance at Poe who also slouches his shoulders when the tension left the air and locked eyes with her. They stood like that for several moments, before Elara sighs and walked up to him, "You're going to have to tell me how you managed to steal something right out from under _her_ nose," she tells him while pointing back at Leia.

Poe chuckles, "It wasn't that hard. I was motivated."

That's the only answer she needs before she leans up and kisses him on the cheek, "Thank you, Poe."

Poe's muscles involuntarily stiffened at the sound of his name pouring from her lips, so smooth and new. He wasn't sure if he ever heard her say his first name before and didn't intend for his eyes to follow her out the door, and once she had disappeared, he was still staring as the door slid closed. He reached up to touch his face where the touch of her lips still lingered but quickly straightened himself when he hears someone clear their throat behind him. He blinks out of whatever world he was living in and turned back around. General Leia quirks an eyebrow at him before sighing.

"I've known that girl her whole life, from the moment she was born. I had the privilege to watch her grow into a radiant, unmoveable woman," Leia looks out the window, watching the stars outside with a painful expression, "It's sad to think that I've had her by my side more years than her own mother did. Nora will never know how independent and strong her daughter has become. All because Snoke created a monster that killed her. And I helped him do it. I helped him create Kylo Ren. He killed Elara's mother..."

Poe's eyes widen at the confession, thinking back to how high-strung Elara appeared to be at the sight of Kylo Ren's ship. When Karé mentioned that Nora Tade was murdered by one of Luke Skywalker's students, he didn't put two and two together to realize Kylo Ren would have had to get his training from somewhere besides Snoke. He just didn't want to imagine one of Luke's students murdering his godmother and then living on to help the First Order.

Leia continues without noticing the conflicted look on Poe's face, "Yet she still looks me in the eyes and calls me her family. There has never been anyone in the entire Galaxy as forgiving as her. And I'd like to think that even though Nora was already gone, she stayed with her daughter until I was able to come and get her. Once she realized her child would be safe, Nora's body vanished from Elara's arms, like the story I told you about Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Poe doesn't ask how _she_ could have possibly helped Snoke create Kylo Ren, knowing that might be a question too out of line to ask, even for him. But it still bugged him though, to picture Leia being too hard on herself and Elara without a perfectly good reason.

"I hate to say it, General, but I think Elara was right when she said you mention her mother too much," Leia raised a dangerous eyebrow in his direction and he quickly tries to explain his out-of-turn comment, "You might just be casting a larger shadow she won't be able to crawl out of. She needs to know that you'll treat her the same way you treat the memory of her mother, with respect and adoration."

Leia watches him carefully, analyzing his face and posture before rolling her thin lips and nodding, "...So have you told Elara how you knew her mother?" Poe's eyes widen and ducks his head in shame while the General continues to berate him, even with a small smile, "I'm not an idiot, Poe. Nora was my sister-in-law and the closest thing I ever had to an actual sister. I knew your parents made her your godmother."

"Elara doesn't need to know," he quickly answers, "I don't want her to think I'm comparing or even competing with her as to how I knew her mom. I don't want her to add me to the list of people who cast the shadow of Nora onto her."

The General appeared to approve of his answer and smiled fully, "Well... at least someone is treating her with respect and adoration."

Poe smiles to himself.

~~~~~~~~~

It isn't until the fourth day after bringing Elara home that Poe realized she was avoiding him.

Technically, he noticed right away. Originally, he thought it was because Leia ordered her niece to rest for the first two days, but after that Poe couldn't even find her. Snap was right when he said that Elara goes to Poe directly whenever it comes to any future missions, debriefs, or even ship maintenance. And now, Poe only ever gets a message from her through his datapad whenever Leia asks her to confide in him. Even when Poe goes to seek her out, she's nowhere to be found. He felt like he might be overthinking it and knew he couldn't go to the General to ask about it. To ask Leia why her niece was avoiding him was to tread in very dangerous waters. Poe was almost certain he would never come back alive from that mission.

But the ache of wanting to see Elara almost deafened any common sense he could possibly have running through his head. If he went through another day of being unable to see her, Poe might as well dive at the chance to talk to Leia. So, to avoid catastrophe, Poe decided to confide in his very best friend for help.

All Poe can say is never underestimate a droid.

The pilot had to remind himself to never get on BB-8's bad side. The astromech droid may be small, but he's well-respected among all droids of the Resistance-- especially after their little mission in Jhosh. When R2-D2 powered down after the disappearance of Luke Skywalker, BB-8, in a way, became a beacon of hope among droids, like Leia is among the Resistance. So, Poe had complete faith in his little friend.

What BB-8 ended up doing was finding a way to lure Elara out. With the help of a Class Two maintenance droid, who told the young Skywalker that her X-Wing had been damaged by a Resistance rookie, BB-8 was able to lead her down a vacant hallway that led towards the hangar without raising any suspicion from the female Jedi. She followed the two droids without question, only realizing she had fallen into a trap one second too late when Poe rounded the corner and leaned against the wall, eyeing her expectedly.

She froze in her footsteps and didn't even notice the two droids disappearing, leaving her alone with Poe in the corridor. For a few long moments, neither of them spoke, until Poe tried to lighten the mood by flashing her a smile, "So, something tells me you're mad at me."

"Since when were _you_ so connected to the Force?" Elara huffs while turning to leave, "I need to get back to the General."

"Did I do something wrong?" He quickly asks, causing her to stop in her tracks, "If I did, I'm sorry. But I hate whenever a friend is mad at me."

" _Why_ do you do that?"

"Do what?"

Elara whips her head around to fix her glare at him, "Why do you do reckless things and then turn around and talk with common sense?"

Poe's eyebrows nearly hurt from furrowing together in deep confusion, "...I don't do that."

"You do! You're always doing stupid, reckless things and then you open your mouth and suddenly people start thinking that all the stupid, reckless things you do actually make sense!"

"Do I get an example?"

"Saving my life."

He frowns, "Saving your life was stupid and reckless?"

"Yes!" She yells back, "I had a mission and I had to finish it!"

"Finishing your mission?" He repeats slowly, "By _dying_?"

"Do you even realize how extremely dangerous it was to use the cure on me before I was even fully rescued?" She steps closer with her face growing red as she rambles, "If we hadn't escaped, the First Order would have gotten ahold of every piece of information they could possibly use against the Resistance. And between the two of us, that would be a lot of information, including access codes, battle plans, the General herself, your squadron! All of it would have been for nothing if they had managed to capture us and drill holes into our heads!"

A bunch of twisted emotions flashes over Poe's face as he tries rummaging around in his brain to say something that wouldn't sound so compromising. He knew what he did was reckless, but he knew it was also the right thing. Stealing from Leia, bringing his friends into danger, saving Elara's life... in hindsight he had no excuse why he ran in headfirst without so much as second-guessing himself. He didn't have any real reasons besides the fact he couldn't picture himself finding Elara dead. He couldn't picture the look on the General's face if he had brought back a body bag. He didn't want to imagine what failing Leia would be like. He didn't want to imagine ever failing Elara--

Oh... maybe he _did_ have a real reason.

The back of his head suddenly hurts with the realization that maybe Snap was onto something when he pulled Poe off to the side to talk about his feelings towards the young Skywalker. All this conflict and denial in his mind was throbbing with the idea of feeling something for her and it was locking down his entire body as he stares at Elara with what could only be shock and a dawning realization. She patiently waits for a response, not entirely understanding everything that was going on in his head at that moment as she crosses her arms unconsciously. 

Watching her irritated expression as she waited for him to say something brought Poe to remember other times where he forgot how to talk in front of her. He remembers making an idiot out of himself when he was surprised she spoke Binary. He remembers the first time he saw her flying or when she Force-healed his hand. He remembers feeling proud when he got her to laugh and honored when he witnessed her using her Jedi training. He remembers being impressed by her many fighting skills that never once involved a lightsaber as she had easily been able to kick him to the ground or the time she used her mind tricks to bewitch Captain Roice. Every time Poe saw her, she continued to amaze and confuse him. And he had been missing that feeling he gets in his chest when he sees her since she had been avoiding him the past several days.

Suddenly, the words that spill out of his mouth make more sense to him now than ever before.

"I couldn't let you die."

She huffs in annoyance, "You can and you _should_ the next time my life is threatened. Leia and I knew the risks and that's why we had the fail-safe--"

"No, you don't understand," Poe grabs her shoulders and pulls her over to the side of the hallway, trying to express everything he was feeling with his eyes, " _I couldn't let you die_."

Elara's eyes watch his expression soften into something pure, gentle, warm, his desperate gaze and along with his small, breathless gasps made him appear to be drowning. She knew that look. She remembered a time when her mother was still alive, and every time Nora looked away, Luke Skywalker wore a similar, passionate expression. She remembered a time where Han Solo had never left and whenever Leia glared at him for being an idiot, he only looked at her with those same, adored eyes and lopsided smile.

Oh, yes. Elara knew that look all too well.

"I thought I told you not to fall in love with me," she tried to sound intimidating, but her voice faltered into a whisper that sounded way too intimate and weak for her liking.

She crosses her arms as some form of shield to defend herself. Maybe she got that expression all wrong and it meant something else. And maybe she did or didn't want to be wrong. She wasn't sure yet. But Poe's expression didn't falter as his lips turn up just ever so slightly as to not scare her off, taking his hands off her shoulders when she curled further into herself while watching him.

"This may come as a shock to you, but I don't always do as I'm told."

Elara's gaze lowered to their feet, trying to force down that smile threatening to form, "It was a simple task. You've handled far worse missions easy enough."

"It wasn't easy at all, Elara," he doesn't say her first name much, but by the stars did she want him to do it more, "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And in the end, I still couldn't succeed. And part of me didn't want to. Part of me wanted to fail. And even though it damaged my pride and reputation, it was very much rewarding; failing a mission such as that. Because who in their right mind wouldn't want to love someone like you?"

"Because if it meant getting themselves killed, they know better than to stick around."

"Sweetheart, I may not be a Jedi, but danger is just as attracted to me as I am to you."

She snorts, still tightened around herself while staring up at Poe in disbelief. He inches closer into her personal space -as if he wasn't standing in it before- and dips his head down to her eyesight, his gaze questionable.

"Did you know that I'm in love with you?"

She knew what to say next without her heart ever having to skip a beat, "I know."

This is the part where she should be hearing her uncle laughing somewhere in the distant parts of the galaxy. Maybe this is the part where Leia is somewhere in the base, feeling some sort of disturbance in the Force. Elara has heard that line before, spoken only between her aunt and uncle. But it was a long time ago when she was a child, where she had last heard them say it.

And maybe before she once thought that _'I know'_ was a terrible response to someone saying _'I love you'_. But right now, it felt oh so right.

He was close enough now that she could only see his eyes and didn't even know he was smiling until she felt it on her lips. The kiss was soft, barely even there as Poe had given her a little bit of space to pull away if she wanted to, but by then she was already leaning into it, kissing him fully as the tension practically bleeds from her body. Her hands unwind around herself and reach up to wrap around his shoulders and neck, drawing him closer. He takes the hint and embraces her torso and the back of her neck, finding the leverage to deepen the kiss.

Eventually, they had to pull away for air but didn't want to break away just yet, settling with their foreheads pressed together while sharing the same bit of air. Elara rolls her lips to wet them and didn't catch Poe watching as she tried busying herself by staring at his collar. She finally looked up and caught that lustful expression that physically looked as though it was dumbing down his brain and she laughed.

"Do you want to know the truth?" Poe only nodded in response as he tried catching his breath, blooming a small bit of pride in Elara's chest as she continued, "I'm glad you were the one who saved me. I don't know why... but somehow I trust you more than anyone else in the galaxy. It's like... someone keeps pushing me towards you. No matter what I do, I always somehow find you. It's like--"

"Some force brought us together."

Elara's eyes widen in disbelief before an abrupt laugh escapes her lips, Poe grinning triumphantly for pulling a reaction like that out of her. She continues to laugh into his chest and stays that way for several moments, playing with a loose strand of his shirt before softly saying, "If we're going to do this then I want to lay down a few ground rules."

"I thought you said Skywalkers love breaking rules?" Poe smirked.

"The first rule, we NEVER promise each other we'll come back alive after each mission. That never ends well and we would be living a lie considering that we're at war. So no more repeats on what happened earlier this week," Poe's jaw tightens slightly but when Elara finally looks up at him, he only nods as she continues, "The second rule, we are going to be strictly professional on the battlefield and never worry about one another's safety. The Resistance comes first."

"Whatever you say, Princess," when Poe receives a devilish grin in response to that, he can't help but wiggle his eyebrows, "Oh, so you _like_ that nickname?"

"No, I'm just thinking about what method I should use to kill you the moment you decide to call me that again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a Sherlock reference in there. Did you spot it???


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Black Squadron find out.

It was the next morning, and Poe was joining Black Squadron for breakfast in the mess hall. Even though their leader has always been a person of positivity and confidence, whether day or night, the members of Poe's squadron immediately noticed that he was in a better mood than usual. He was laughing through eating his rations when Jess decided to be dramatic and exclaim she was dying after Snap took the last cup of caf. The man had the decency of sharing his portion with Karé, and just to spite Pava, he even gave Poe and Suralinda a couple of sips as well. When Jess exclaimed how badly she wished she could Force choke the bastard, Poe was choking on his own breakfast while laughing uncontrollably. Snap and Karé shared a look while watching Poe. His cheeks looked warm and his eyes sparkled without any light reflecting off them. Jess noticed how loosely free he held himself instead of tightly-wound or punctual. He's usually always on the move but this morning he's relaxed as if he had all the time in the world. 

"Did you get laid or something?" Suralinda, ever the blunt journalist, decides to ask him what they're all thinking, despite Jess elbowing her in the gut right afterward.

Poe's laugh suddenly dies and his eyebrows dart up to his hairline, the warmth in his cheeks burned brighter, "What? Why would you--"

"Oh my stars," Karé gasped, "Did you and Skywalker finally hook up?"

"What? No!" Poe's voice suddenly went up an octave at the accusation and Jess says as much.

"You're squeaking, you liar."

"I am not!" He was, "Elara and I did not--"

" _'Elara'_ , huh?" Suralinda grinned, "Whatever happened to _'Skywalker'_?"

"Look, all that happened yesterday was that we talked it out after she had been avoiding me for the past few days."

"Oh, yeah?" Snap bore a twinkle in his eye that looked down-right mischevious, "You _talked it out_."

Poe's eyes narrow at the only other male present, "I know where you sleep, Wexley."

"Only Poe threatens death and uses last names when he's defensive," Jess laughs.

"And normally I would encourage it," Karé shrugs, "If the threat didn't mean Poe was going to be getting Snap's blood all over _my_ pillows. They just happen to be a luxury I snagged from Naboo, Poe, and I would prefer to keep them from getting dirty."

"Thanks, babe," Snap mumbled.

"Back to what's _really_ important," Suralinda leans forward on the table to fix a better look at Poe with her yellow and brown eyes, "You slept with the General's niece."

"I did not--" Poe stumbles over his words as he felt flustered... and frustrated to the point where he nearly shouts, "I _kissed_ her! That's it!"

"Told ya."

Poe wasn't sure what he was expecting after practically giving his squadron an astounding conclusion to their prodding, but he wasn't expecting them to casually pass credits between each other without so much as looking his way. He was actually thinking that they might freak out or start clapping, but instead, Snap and Jess looked downtrodden while giving up their credits to Karé and Suralinda, the two women smiling victoriously. Poe's jaw drops.

"You guys... _betted_ on this?"

"Of course we did, Dameron," Suralinda rolled her eyes, "We get bored in between missions. Did you really think we had better things to do?"

"We actually do," Snap growled, "That's why I wasn't being completely serious when I placed my bets. I was speeding it up so we could get back to work."

"All I hear is a sore loser," Karé hums while counting her credits absentmindedly, "Anyways. Congratulations, Poe. We're all proud and very happy for both you and Commander Skywalker."

"Speak for yourself," Jess groaned while leaning her forehead against the table, "I was hoping they'd wait another week to shag."

Poe frowns, "Pava, I just said that we didn't--"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I'm just playing... _unless_ \--"

"I hate you."

"Love you, too, Black Leader."

"So!" Suralinda clapped once to draw the attention back to her, "Give us the details. You guys kissed and stuff, cool. Sure. That's that. Nothing more?"

"No, for the seven hundredth time!" Poe exclaims while trying not to lose his cool, but his team could tell there was no real heat behind his voice. He wasn't the least bit irritated by his friends, he just felt as though he was being interrogated, "And even if something else happened, I wouldn't tell you."

"Well, what did you guys talk about? You said you had talked things out. Was that before or after the kiss," Jess asked into the table before raising her head to expect an answer.

"None of your business!"

"Did you tell her you love her?"

For a moment, a spark of the much younger Poe emerges and his grin sparkles as he winks at Pava, "You know my heart belongs to the stars."

"Not this monologue again," Suralinda hisses under her breath, "I thought you were past that poetic bullshit."

"You'd be surprised how little he actually says it nowadays," Karé snorts, "But that doesn't mean he hasn't _stopped_."

"We all know you belong to the stars, Poe," Snap grins, "...But I'm pretty sure Elara's name means _'star'_."

" _'Moon'_ , actually."

Everyone's eyes shoot up at the new voice to find Elara standing over their table with a smug smirk on her face when she noticed their panicked expressions. She winks and then directs her gaze down to Poe, who she stood just over his shoulder. He was smiling, unlike the rest, the others still trying to get over the fear they felt when Elara had snuck up on them. His eyes were warm while looking up at her, his smile soft and quite frankly pathetic while greeting her with a small nod, "Hey."

"Hey," she smiled back, trying to ignore the way her heart sped up at his dopey smile.

Snap finally shook his head to rid his initial shock before going back on topic, "So wait, you're named after a moon?"

"I think so? That's what I was told." Elara broke the spell that was placed on hers and Poe's gaze when she looked up to address the other male pilot.

"It's still a star, Poe," Snap chuckles when his leader turns to playfully glare at him from across the table.

Elara tilts her head, "Why are we talking about stars?" 

"No reason!" Poe cuts in immediately with a cough, all the while Jess just rolls her eyes.

"No reason at all, except that Snap thinks he's some sort of genius for cracking a completely obvious puzzle."

Snap's eyes narrow at Jess and without even thinking, pushes his cup of caf over in Elara's direction without looking away from Pava, "Here, Skywalker. Wanna sip?"

"Oh, come on!"

Elara quirks an eyebrow at Jess as she reached down to grab the cup, looking between it and Snap with suspicion before fixing her eyes on Poe, "What did he do to it?"

"He didn't do _anything_ besides take the last bit of caf this morning and has been going around sharing it with everyone but _me_ ," Jess grumbles under her breath while actually pouting like a child, crossing her arms with a huff.

Elara looks between the caf and Jess before finally deciding to place it in front of the distressed female pilot, "Here you go, Pava."

Jess actually looks shocked when the cup is placed in her hands, but she quickly covers it up with a grin, staring up at Elara with such a grateful look in her eye, "Oh, I like you! I know Poe always says you're an angel, but I never really believed him."

"Jessika!" Poe actually starts to sputter and choke at that, coughing profusely to try and cover up his embarrassment but it only rouses Suralinda and Snap to start laughing louder, Karé hiding her smile while she ate. Elara decides to pity the man and pats his back as he coughs before deciding to join the squadron and sits down next to Poe, blatantly having their sides pressed close to one another from leg to shoulder and staring dead-on at everyone while daring them to comment. Poe smiles to himself while pressing further into her, noting that maybe she liked the angel comment more than he thought she might. 

Snap knows when not to cross the line and decides not to comment on the new couple's closeness but leans closer to eye Elara up, "So, Skywalker, are you willing to put up with our brave leader's recklessness?"

"Yeah, it's not like you won't be able to control him very much," Suralinda smirks knowingly.

"Are you kidding? She's a Jedi! She could Force control me to do anything! You should have seen how she handled Roice for being a total dick," Poe exclaimed while moving his hands around to mimic how Elara used the Force to control the perverted captain.

She shrugs in response, "I'm pretty sure I overdid it. I haven't seen Roice since."

"Oh, you didn't hear? He left the Resistance the day after," Poe turned back to her with a grin that could only be described as proudful, forcing the smile to sprout from her lips.

"Interesting," she hums, "But be as it may, I don't need the Force to tell _you_ what to do." 

Jessika nearly spits out her caf and chokes while laughing as Poe's face turns a bashful shade of red, shrinking in on himself slightly as his entire squadron whistles approvingly and laugh. Elara wore a proud look on her face and added a wink in Poe's direction to singe the suggestive comment into his brain.

~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, everyone had parted ways to get their assigned tasks done. Poe didn't see Elara since then strictly because of Leia and Admiral Ackbar, who have asked her for a proper report on what happened that led and followed to the event of her capture. When dinner drew near that evening, Poe had gotten done early with some drills he had to run with a few other pilots and decided to drop in at Leia's office to see if Elara was interested in getting something to eat together. When he entered, it appeared as though neither Leia or Elara were back from their assignments as the small office was empty and dark. 

He turns on the lights when he decides to wait for them and walks over to the desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Elara's lightsaber lying over a stack of papers and grins to himself. He takes the saber in his hands and admires the handiwork. He recalls some stories his parents told him about the Jedi and they mention how part of the training requires building your own lightsaber. Poe remembers a time in his childhood where he would fashion a pretend laser sword out of sticks and even spare parts of his mother's A-Wing and play around the yard while imagining what it would be like to be a Jedi. Whenever his Aunt Nora would visit, she'd laugh at the creation he made and even sparred with him a couple of times with one more wooden lightsaber.

And now he has the real thing in his hands and he has to praise Elara for her handiwork. It brings a smile to his face to be holding a weapon that Elara has fashioned with her own hands. It was a piece of her... and part of him wondered what color crystal she had used for it. Before he could even activate it, however, it flew out of his hand and when he whipped around to see where it went, he saw Elara in the doorway with her raised hand holding her lightsaber. She grinned with amusement when Poe's face grew pale and terrified as if his mother had just caught his hand in the cookie jar.

"If you wanted to see it, all you had to do was ask," she states.

When he realized he wasn't in trouble, he sheepishly grins while scratching the back of his head nervously, "...Can I see it?"

She laughs at how innocent and small he could make himself appear as she clips her saber to her belt, "Nah, I feel like keeping you guessing and curious would be a fitting punishment."

He laughs and Elara crosses the room to set down her datapad and plant a kiss on his jaw where she was able to reach. He smiles to himself and brushes his hand against her hip, "I know you said you never want to share why you stopped using your saber--" he quickly continues before her eyes could even twitch, "And let me be clear. I'm _not_ gonna force you to tell me. I just want you to know... that I'm here to listen, okay? It's what I'm for at least."

She eyes him cautiously before letting out a forced breath, "I'm not with you so that I have a shoulder to cry on whenever I need it. That's not why I've decided to keep you around..." Poe is startled out of a laugh and she flashes a grateful smile, "But I appreciate the offer. And you can be damn sure that the offer goes from me to you as well."

The smile he bestows her is warm and it makes her stomach flutter almost uncomfortably. Poe nods before pointing towards the doorway, "Okay. You hungry?"

Elara hums at the thought and playfully sighs, "Starving."

He wiggles his eyebrows while rubbing his hands up and down her arms, "Let's make a deal. I'll get you something to eat, if... we go flying tonight."

The look she gave him was as if she had just been given candy, "Sounds like a deal, Dameron."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleepover is in order.

For the next few weeks, that's how their relationship played out. Flirtatious banter and teasing in public just to see who would blush first. The Black Squadron members always bore witness to these small spells and it was 100% the most entertaining thing they got out of working day in and day out with several missions set nearly side by side each other.

Elara, unfortunately, didn't go on any of these said missions after the fright she gave the General when she was captured. Even though both Poe and his squadron begged Leia for her to go, she always shook her head and told them that Elara is needed elsewhere. Honestly, Leia felt as though they were all children asking her if it would be alright for her child to come outside and play. She tries not to think any harder into that scenario as it only made her heart squeeze painfully.

Elara also tried not to think about it too much, feeling alone every time Black Squadron takes off into the air, going on countless adventures without her. It bothers her that Suralinda has finally gotten permission to have her own ship and go along with the missions, but not her. She doesn't think she misses them whenever they're away just because of Poe. Sure, that's one of the reasons, but she's fairly certain that she also misses the company and friends she made from the squadron. She hasn't had time to make friends in a while, and the fact that the Black Squadron always welcomed her with open arms made her feel human again and not some lonely, sad girl who sits in her aunt's office writing paperwork on military tactics and political standpoints all day.

She doesn't ever worry when they're gone, though. She's against that because she made Poe promise that he can't worry for her, so she just as well can do the same. No, she just misses him and their friends whenever they're out, and she definitely _doesn't_ sit alone in the hangar deck late at night, watching the stars and hoping one of them would soon turn into several ships, shooting down towards her from lightspeed.

But they always come back, she's come to reassure herself that. Even though things always go wrong for them on their missions, they always somehow come back to her, sometimes barely unscathed and sometimes not. She tries telling herself that someday one if not all of them could end up like L'ulo or Oddy, but she turns naive every time they come back, smiling and waving at her from across the landing strip, making her believe that _her_ squadron was invincible. And no one could possibly touch them.

_"This is Black Leader. Mission was successful and Black Squadron is ready to enter lightspeed. We require clearance to set coordinates for Resistance base, over."_

Elara leans over the panel and flips a few switches before speaking into her comm device, "Black Leader, this is Command. You have permission to take the jump, over."

_"Thank you, Command. And may I just say you sound like the most beautiful creature in all the galaxy."_

Elara snorts while ignoring the blush in her cheeks, "You don't have to try and get a rise out of me, Poe. It's the middle of the night back at base and no one's around but me."

 _"Oh, yeah?"_ Uh oh, Elara could practically _see_ the grin as he spoke, _"If that's the case, then what are you wearing?"_

 _"My stars, Poe,"_ Jess groans into comms, _"She may be alone but_ ** _you_** _are not!"_

The grin Elara feels forming on her lips hurts her face as it uncontrollably stretches too wide. She clears her throat before speaking back into the comm, dropping her voice to something smooth and warm, "Depends, Dameron. Do you like _lace_ or _silk_?"

 _"Please switch to a private channel, I'm_ ** _begging_** _you,"_ Karé pleads despite Snap laughing in the background, _"I think I just threw up in my mouth."_

Suralinda is laughing cruelly alongside Snap while speaking into comms, _"Kriff, Elara, you've gotta tell me your secret! I've never seen Poe so red! He just hit his head on the window of his X-Wing!"_

Elara laughs openly into comms, not caring about how loud she was knowing that no one's bunk back on base was nowhere near the command center. She was shivering in her daily attire while sitting comfortably in her chair with her knees draw up to her chin since no one could see her. The overhead lights were off and the room itself was empty apart from her, her face ignited by the lights of the controls in front of her.

She hears Poe coughing a few times before trying to speak again, _"S-S-Setting coordinates for D'Qar. Going into lightspeed in three... two... one."_

Elara gives them a moment before speaking in comms, "Everyone heading home?"

 _"Yes, ma'am,"_ Jess chirps happily, _"That shower is calling my name."_

 _"Oh, yes,"_ Karé sighs, _"That sounds fantastic!"_

 _"Eh. I prefer heading straight to bed,"_ Snap grumbles half-heartedly.

_"Speak for yourself, babe. You weren't the one who got blasted with alien goop!"_

Elara snorts, cutting into the conversation, "Why are you covered in goop, Karé?"

_"Jess and I were on the receiving end of Poe shooting at and blowing up an Acklay. Could have given us a warning."_

_"I did! Does the phrase 'watch out' mean nothing to you people?"_

_"Not when there are ten hundred other things going on around us!"_ Jess snaps back.

"Okay, kids, no fighting," Elara chuckles, "When you get back, Jess and Karé get to hit the showers, and Poe can handle writing the report."

 _"What?"_ Poe whines, _"That's not fair!"_

"You need to learn how to set an example as Black Leader, Poe," Elara explains, "And own up to your mistakes by apologizing to your teammates for bathing them in alien goop and doing their paperwork to make up for it."

 _"Hell yeah,"_ Karé cheers, _"Sounds fair if you ask me."_

 _"Sounds like I'm being ganged up on,"_ Poe mutters with no real heat behind it, _"Snap? Sura? Anything to add?"_

 _"You know..."_ Snap trailed off, _"Now that you mention it... I'm pretty sure Poe doused me in Acklay guts, too. Maybe he should do my paperwork as well to make it up to me."_

 _"Me, too!"_ Suralinda chimed in.

_"Guys! Come on! I said I was sorry!"_

Everyone over the radio is laughing and Elara can't help but do the same. Her sides hurt from laughing and her eyes suddenly felt heavier than before, the traces of sleep finally taking over. She hums as the laughing dies off and she notices a private channel button blinking beside her. She smiles and presses the button, immediately bombarded with Poe's voice.

 _"Hey,"_ his voice is softer, the feigned irritation from before now dying away along with the rest of Black Squadron's voices.

"Hey," she whispers even though there was no need to.

_"So what are you doing up if everyone at the base is asleep?"_

She shrugs without remembering Poe couldn't see it, "I wasn't tired. But I think it's starting to catch up to me now."

_"Yeah? You think you'll make it until after we get back?"_

"Maybe," she yawns, "Why? Did ya miss me or something?"

_"Or something."_

Her chest feels warm as her heart skips a couple of beats. She laughs under her breath while speaking into comms, "How long until you get back?"

_"Couple minutes at the most."_

"Well then. I'll leave out the welcome mat," Elara leans forward towards the switch, "See you in a minute."

She flips off comms and stands up, stretching her arms and feeling her bones crack in protest from her obnoxious position on the chair. She knew she wasn't old, but she also knew she wasn't _young_ anymore either. She has to remember that she can't just squish her whole body into a small chair and not think about the consequences anymore. Heading out of the command center, she rubs the back of her aching neck while yawning again, passing by several doors and hallways before heading up the stairs and out of the bunker-makeshift base to walk outside onto the landing strip. Looking up at the sky, she's astonished that the stars are slowing disappearing under a dark purple blanket with pink trims, the planet's sun just barely peeking out a sliver of its orange glow over the horizon. She hadn't realized it was early morning and she hadn't slept the entire night. Whatever was keeping her awake must have numbed out all of her other senses. Before long, she hears the sound of something breaking through the wind and looked up to see an X-Wing enter the atmosphere, followed by several other ships and Elara has never felt more tired in her whole life, her muscles physically relaxing when her brain counts each of the Black Squadron members slowly touching down to the ground.

Her tired smile doesn't reach her eyes but it was genuine all the same as the group walks over to her, laughing quietly amongst themselves until they reached her. Poe easily slides into her space and wraps his arms around her waist, bringing her flushed against him as he buried his face into her neck. Elara breathes out a laugh while wrapping her arms around his neck, reaching up on her tiptoes to bring him closer in the warm embrace that drove her to nearly want to fall asleep here and now.

"Welcome back, guys," she greets everyone into Poe's shoulder.

"Thanks, but the welcome appears to only be targetting one individual," Suralinda grins wickedly.

"Nonsense," Elara rolled her eyes playfully when she regrettably pulls away from Poe, but he doesn't accept it and sneaks in to hug her waist from behind, dropping his head onto her shoulder, "I welcome you all with gifts. General Organa has granted you all a day off tomorrow, or should I say _today_ , considering Leia knew that you wouldn't get back until now. She also wanted you all to spend a day filing your reports... but seeing as though _Poe_ will be doing your paperwork... I hope you all enjoy your day off."

Poe groans into her neck, and it takes all of her strength not to shiver, "What about _my_ day off?"

"Don't worry, Flyboy," Elara grins while flicking at one of the arms he has wrapped around her stomach, "I'll help you with the paperwork."

"Is _that_ what we're calling it now?" Snap questioned, "I must be getting old for this new slang."

"You _are_ old," Karé chuckles underneath all that grime.

"Again, I was _sixteen_ during Jakku!"

"Wexley," Elara drops her tone, "Go to _bed_ before I decide to ask Leia if you can clean the ships on your day off."

Snap quickly runs off after sending a sideways glance over at his girlfriend, then Elara turns to Snap's said girlfriend and looks between Karé and Jess, "Go take a shower and go ahead and fix yourself some much-needed caf with chocolate. My treat."

"Thanks, Lara!" Both ladies cheer in unison before heading off in the direction of the showers, their boots squishing nastily with each step they took. Elara smiles before turning to Suralinda.

"And _you_?"

"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and writing my story until my fingers fall off."

Elara nods solemnly, "Better fix yourself some caf and chocolate, too."

"Don't have to tell me twice," the tall, blue-skinned woman walks off while waving over her shoulder, "Goodnig-- good morning, you guys! And thanks for taking my workload, Poe!"

Elara laughs in response to Poe's silence and waits before the whole team is gone before tapping on his arms again, "Did you fall asleep on me, Commander?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Commander," Poe's lips brush against her exposed skin when he talked and Elara doesn't hide the shudder that runs down her body this time, causing those lips against her neck to stretch into a smile, "Although I'm very well close to falling asleep."

"Yeah," she agrees distantly, "Me, too."

She didn't want to pull away from the warmth of his body against her back just yet, however. She hated the thought of sleep if it meant leaving Poe to go to her room. He must have felt the same way when he pulled his face out of her neck to catch her eyes when she turned to him, "Would it kill anyone if we had a sleepover?"

She snorts, trying to ignore the thrill in her spine at the very mention of something new sprouting into their relationship, "No. I don't think it will."

"Come on. My bunk's closer."

He pulls away finally and her back immediately feels cold, his hand sliding down her arm and leaving goosebumps in his wake until he reaches her hand, lacing their fingers together. She squeezes his hand and he leads them back towards the base, the sun now slowly igniting a golden hue in his dark hair as Elara observed was quite a beautiful sight.

BB-8 is slowly trailing behind them, beeping softly in content at the idea of powering down to charge. They walk down a couple of halls before finally making it to Poe's room and by that point, they were basically dragging their feet. Elara suddenly remembered as she was stepping into Poe's room that this thing going on between them is only a few weeks old and the fact they're now planning on sharing a room for the night --day-- should feel awkward or uncomfortable even, but maybe she was so tired she could care less. Or maybe this thing going on between them feels so right and fits so perfectly that nothing feels awkward or new between them. This felt like an old routine if anything.

"If you want to slip into something more comfortable, I promise to be the perfect gentleman," Poe tries to grin but the tired smile barely stretches and the joke falls slightly as he stumbled over to his small dresser. He reached and grabbed a white shirt and a pair of blue boxers before tossing them over to her. Elara caught them and raised her eyebrows, to which he grins and turns away.

She rolls her eyes consciously and steps aside to let BB-8 get passed her to reach his charging port. She smiles while watching the droid and slips out of her formal attire to change into her newly appointed pajamas, clearing her throat once she was decent and decided to kneel down to pat BB-8's head to avoid seeing Poe's reaction when he turned. When she eventually looked up, however, Poe's eyes and smile was honey-sweet, pure and innocent while watching her and BB-8 interact just before the droid powers down. Elara stands up and smirks while tapping on his flight suit, turning to walk and sit on the bed. Poe goes to take off his flight suit until he realized he was being watched. He looked back up and raised his eyebrows at Elara's lingering gaze, to which she responds by shrugging and rolling her lips.

"I never said _I_ was gonna be the perfect lady."

The laugh is startled out of him and Elara feels a thousand times richer at the sound. She watches him as he undresses but makes a point to only stare at his eyes as he does so, trying to be courteous but not fully. Stars, Leia would kill her at the thought of Elara turning into someone like Han. Meanwhile, Poe tries not to think about how heavy her eyelids looked as she peered up at him, slowing blinking as her long lashes kissed her skin with a flushed smile on her lips. He quickly undresses down to his boxers and throws on some sweats, now trying to avoid her gaze so that the heat doesn't rise any further up his neck.

"So how much time left is the General giving us?"

She turns to look at the holo-clock beside his bed, "Thirty-six hours."

"Hm," he hums thoughtfully, "It's gonna fly by..."

"It might," she hums back, "Are you gonna make it worth it?"

Poe looks back up at her eyes and grins, wiggling his eyebrows that forces a laugh out of her gut. It's silenced, however, when Poe crosses the room to lean down and capture her lips in his, slowly gliding over the soft skin and trailing the pads of his fingers up her cheeks to hold her in place and gently gripping her hair. She closes her eyes and sighs through her nose in content, her neck craning up to kiss him while her hands reach out to bend the back of his knees and forcing him to fall. The kiss breaks as he laughs, catching himself by the elbows before he could fully crush her into the mattress. 

He stares down at her with a wry grin, "I think my gut's telling me that you missed me."

"I think your gut just has jet lag."

Poe chuckles and moves off of her to lay on his side, drawing her in with his arms until her back is pressed against his chest. He takes a moment to settle and listen to her soft breathing and the hums of BB-8's charging port before he plants a small kiss in between her shoulder and neck, "Is this okay?"

She smiles to herself, being sure to gently squeeze his arms that have her trapped in his embrace, "This is perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a Harry Potter reference hidden somewhere in here. Did you spot it???


	9. Chapter Eight

Poe is forced to open his eyes when the afternoon light shining through the opened bedroom window hits him square in the face. It takes him a few minutes to fully open them, his vision blurred around the edges with sleep. He hears birds outside the window, followed by familiar quiet beeps coming from just over his shoulder. When Poe finally recognizes the wall he's facing to be the one pressed against his bed, he listens to BB-8 ranting quietly for a moment before realizing that there's also a human whisper responding to him.

He flips around in bed to find out who BB-8 was talking to and holy shit there's an angel in his room.

Her messy hair was quickly pulled up into a bun and the sun outside the window was shining gold through the loose strands, igniting her cream skin to glow white. She was still wearing his shirt and boxers but now Poe was more awake and aware to realize how incredibly beautiful she looked wearing his clothes. It looked so domestic to watch her sitting cross-legged on the floor, her datapad in her lap and _wearing his clothes_ while quietly chatting with his droid that the pilot almost wanted to drop everything and keep them both locked away in his room forever.

Elara typed absently at her datapad, her tongue stuck out of the corner in her mouth in concentration, a small habit she does that Poe had quickly caught onto quite early on in their relationship. Her eyes narrow down at the screen and she hummed a small tune unconsciously, her focus undivided between the datapad and the droid.

"So how many times do you think Oddy tried apologizing?" She whispered quietly to BB-8, who chirped delightfully and she muffles a giggle by biting her lip, Poe immediately was drawn to the sight, "I suppose. That was Oddy after all."

"What are you two talking about?"

Both woman and droid look over to see Poe watching them through half-lidded eyes and a lopsided smile, half of his face still buried in the pillow Poe could still faintly smell her hair on. Elara smiles while watching his usual untamed curls bounce and stick up in even more unusual places before she shrugs, "Beebee was telling me about the time Oddy broke your nose on your X-Wing door."

"If he's making it sound like it was on purpose, it wasn't," Poe immediately answers in defense, "It was strictly accidental."

"I don't know..." she trailed off with a knowing smile, "If I was the one who had to constantly fix your ship every time you mistreat it, I'd want to make the action of breaking your nose look like an accident, too."

Poe snorts into the pillow, "You _like_ fixing ships."

"How did you know?"

"Because I knew what I was getting myself into."

Her smile was warmer now, almost as warm as the tip of her ears, "Don't act like it was that hard of a decision, Dameron. You said it yourself, you didn't want to fight it."

He closes his eyes again and smiles into the pillow at the memory. She wasn't wrong, and his mind wandered to how well things have been now that the two of them have admitted loving one another, how last night didn't feel rushed or awkward, but it felt _right_ , "Is it safe to say that even though it's only been a few weeks, I feel like I've been in love with you for years?"

She tries to hide her smile by ducking her head, pretending to go back to her datapad, "I'll try and take that as a compliment."

"You should. Because you're wearing my shirt and boxers right now and it's a complete, absolute miracle I have been able to control myself for this long."

"If you're trying to get me to crawl back into bed, it's not going to work. You and I still have plenty of paperwork to fill out."

His groan is muffled by the blankets and pillows, "I was hoping you were joking about that."

"I wasn't."

"And here I thought you wanted to spend time with me."

"I do," she speaks genuinely, "That's why I'm trying to help you get these reports done so that I'll still have time to spend with you before I have to take off."

 _That_ brought him to pull his head from out of the pillow, glaring at her in confusion through the bed creases sticking to his cheek, "What?"

"Sorry," she smiles, the motion tight across her mouth in sympathy, "But Leia gave you and your squadron the day off. And I'm not in your squadron. I didn't mention it cause I didn't want you to feel rushed in doing the paperwork and then trying to find time with me."

His arm peeks out and stretches to her direction from out underneath the covers, wiggling his fingers at her in a pathetic attempt to reach her, "Stay."

"I can't."

"I don't care what the General says about you," he speaks up a little louder, now fully awake, "To me, and as far as I'm concerned, you _are_ in Black Squadron and you deserve the day off just like the rest of us. Does Leia even know you stayed up all night last night to help us dock?"

"I didn't stay up all night for _you_ ," Elara rolled her eyes, "I told you I couldn't sleep."

He grinned, knowingly, "Because you knew I was coming home last night."

"You're full of yourself."

"Would you rather be full of me?"

She laughs, loudly and obnoxious this time and she even leans on BB-8 to catch herself from doubling over on the ground. The droid takes the opportunity to lower his head and urge her on by tickling the side of her neck with his antennae. She tries batting him away but is spurred on and laughs even harder, tears brimming at the small crow's feet near her eyes. Poe leans up on his elbows and stomach to watch the scene, his chin absently rested on the palm of his hand as he watched her wipe away the tears and try to take deep breaths.

"Have I ever told you how adorable it is when you stick your tongue out?" She pauses and eyes him wearily, spurring him to continue, "It is! Everything you do when you're concentrated on anything is adorable. You always have to fidget or hum or stick your tongue out whenever you're fully committed to a project. You're always so focused and determined. I sometimes can't even look directly at you because you're as bright as a star when you're 100% confident. It's like a solar system revolving around you."

Her entire face is glowing red now against the sun's rays coming through the window, her entire posture now sitting straight up and analyzing him with the tilt of her head. At first, her expression is full of disbelief, but upon further examining how loose and innocent Poe's smile is directed at her, the disbelief melts into what can only be described as adoration. She sets her datapad down, careful not to stir BB-8 as she crawls over to lean over Poe's bedside and draw him into a warm, languid kiss, their lips still ripe of morning breath but they slide slowly against each other without a care in the world. She mumbles into his mouth, her smile unwavering, "I love you. And your friends."

"They're your friends now, too," he whispers into her lips like a promise as they slowly pull away, "They're your family as much as they are mine."

She smiles down at the way he looks up at her through his eyelashes, full of endearing love as she softly replies, "That's nice. I don't have much family left."

He leans up to kiss her again, his hand trailing up into her hair and cupping the back of her neck to pull her closer. He wants her to know everything he feels about her through one kiss and then some. He wants her to know that this is by far his most cherished memory of all time. He wants her to know that this morning's kisses alone give him a twisting feeling deep in his stomach that makes flying look like learning how to walk. He wants her to know that even when he's away or when she's not in the room, everything is too dark and too serious and he feels like every day should have this soft, morning glow that's shining through her hair.

But he doesn't think the kiss alone is enough to tell her all of that so he tries wording it as he slowly pulls away, trying to even relay the message through his eyes while looking up at her, "Lara... stay."

She watches his eyes, a dark brown that looks like freshly brewed coffee in the sunlight. Her lungs forget how to breathe while she licks at her lips, tasting him on her tongue while trying to form words. She nearly forgets where she is, who she's with, and what they're doing here on D'Qar. For a moment, just a moment, she feels at home, and by the stars did she want to keep calling it home for as long as she can, Leia and duties be damned so she thinks to Hell with it.

"Okay. I'll stay," she whispered while reaching up to try and tame a lock of his curls and keep it out of his face.

He breathes out what could only be a sigh of relief, and it makes Elara's heart flutter at the thought that any other answer she could have said would have killed him. He leans down to catch her wrist with his mouth and kisses the vein just below her palm, "And not just today. Stay here forever. Move-in with me. I don't ever want to spend another night alone ever again unless it's with you."

Her heart is beating so fast she felt as though she might pass out. When her brain caught up to realize she needed to answer him, she made a point to hum as if she was in deep thought, looking pointedly around the room while replying, "I'll have to make a few changes around here."

Poe snorts in amusement, his whole body now shaking with hidden laughter, "I'm sure you do."

"Oh, absolutely!" She continues while unconsciously pushing Poe back into bed as she closely follows him, throwing the bed sheet back over herself, "That wall needs an accent color... I could picture some plants growing near the window. Perhaps a big desk for any droid repairs and multiple datapads."

"Go ahead and rain down on my bachelor pad," Poe grins triumphantly when she rolls her eyes, the pilot pulling her close to him again and feeling content with staying in bed a few extra hours, "See if I care."

"Challenge accepted," she huffs under her breath and fits her head under Poe's chin, pressing herself up to him.

BB-8 beeps in protest before the couple dozed back off into Dreamland, and the reports were quickly forgotten.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia is used to being the one who has to wear a dress for an operation. Now she has the pleasure of dragging her niece along for this little political stunt, too.

Several months go by, and Leia almost regrets ever introducing Poe and Elara to each other.

Almost.

But she can't say that she isn't happy for them. That would be a lie.

Poe and Elara weren't entirely open about their relationship, but they didn't hide it either. They visibly stood closer to each other than normal when talking among themselves, laughing in each other's space and always nudging the other whether it was by shoulder or knee. If they passed each other in the hallway, Poe would quickly swoop down to kiss Elara on the cheek or brush past her with a hand. Elara is no better. She pointedly loves being in charge of Poe's ship whenever he damages it and even encourages him to keep doing so. She loves being able to work on the ship with Poe and BB-8 more than just sitting around, collecting data for her aunt, and wasting away her true talents.

It was easy to see how Poe and Elara easily brought out the best and worst of each other, which is something Leia didn't necessarily believe was a bad thing. There is always a balance between the Light and the Dark Side. If one rises in power, so does the others. Nothing could tip the scales to either side's advantage, and so Leia had to deal with any sort of relationship Poe and Elara grew, because whatever it was... it made them both wonderful people but terrible to work with when they're together. If Poe or any of the other members of Black Squadron were around, Elara couldn't exactly focus on the task at hand, and Leia had to admit that her niece was a little like Han that way. When around people she was comfortable with, Elara wasn't as equally serious as she was devious. But again, Leia couldn't complain. It was nice to see Elara acting her age and appearing happy for once.

After weeks and weeks of convincing, Leia finally let Elara become an official member of Black Squadron and she was cleared to go on missions with them effective immediately. They go on several with her without a hitch and it relaxes the paranoia lingering in Leia's mind. She knew she shouldn't dote on a woman who's nearly thirty years old, but the General has been practically raising Elara all on her own since she was a teenager and something in her mind told her that one day, the young Skywalker will fly to the stars and never return, just like the rest of their family.

But Elara always came back, and with her, came Poe and the rest of Black Squadron. Slowly, Leia reassured herself over their many missions that as long as Elara had them, she will always come home.

Leia is grateful that her niece and Poe at least kept things professional when out on missions or during a meeting. But for some reason, the other Black Squadron members like to egg them on. There was teasing involved as well as mocking, sometimes in the middle of said meetings. Leia couldn't count how many times Suralinda named the couple 'Mom and Dad' or Snap asking Elara if she could force heal all of Poe's recent battle injuries by kissing them. Jess was sent laughing out of her chair while Poe nearly choked on his own saliva. Karé appeared to be the more civilized out of all of them, elbowing her boyfriend in the gut.

And Elara, while wearing that devilish grin she no doubt had inherited from her uncle, would look Snap straight in the eye and say, "The answer is yes."

And it's not to say Leia doesn't ever catch the two of them kissing in the hallways or in a small corner of a room. She does, nearly all the time, and sometimes she can't help but wonder if this is her punishment for introducing the two of them. By the time she realized how serious her niece and Poe's relationship had gotten, it was already too late to have her ship Elara off to Naboo or demote Poe to a custodian. Not like she actually would, but she was seriously thinking about it after the last time she caught them making out in public.

But she had the sudden realization as to how bad they have it for one another when Elara was helping the General with a small debriefing for Black Squadron. Leia took one glance over at Poe and was nearly startled to see how dazed and lovesick he appeared to be while watching Elara talk, unknowingly by the young woman. He looked so much younger and happy compared to how Leia usually deals with his reckless, upbeat behavior. But what terrified General Organa the most is the very reason why she looked over at Poe in the first place.

When looking around the room, she could have sworn she saw Han out of the corner of her eye, only to fully turn and realize it was Poe. When Leia looked over to see what Poe was staring at, Leia could feel her color drain from her face when she realized Elara looked exactly like a younger version of her own aunt at that very moment.

If Leia didn't believe in the Force or ghosts, she would have thought she had gone insane.

In time, she had to pull the two aside and fix them both with threatening looks, "Both of your mothers were my friends, and you would be mistaken if we didn't exchange embarrassing stories about our children. So watch your backs, commanders. You'll never know when I'll strike up a conversation about how changing your diapers was a nightmare."

If things were beginning to tame down again, Leia didn't say anything but victoriously grin.

~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, the missions were going to catch up with Black Squadron and tensions were going to begin to rise, for some more than others. One beautiful morning, Poe had taken BB-8 up into the air on patrol with Snap's X-Wing when the Black Leader wasn't feeling himself. Poe had a lot on his mind recently, and even though he was flying an X-Wing that wasn't his, he didn't mind the view while his thoughts drifted to recent events, such as Terex still on the loose and the deaths of L'ulo and Oddy. When BB-8 announced that he had a surprise for him, Poe decided that he deserved to feel excited. When getting back to base, Poe followed his droid into the hangar and roared with excitement at the sight of his own black and orange X-Wing cleaned and fully operational again.

"INCREDIBLE!" He announced, his voice echoing off the walls of the hangar as he ran his hand over the side of the ship, "Buddy... thank you. I wasn't sure if this would ever get fixed up," the droid rolled up to receive a resounding pat on his dome head when Poe crouched down to his height, "But I don't understand how you had time to run these repairs. You've been right with me on every patrol I've flown-- and Leia's had me flying _a_ _lot_ of patrols all because she caught me and Elara--"

BB-8 beeps hurriedly while shaking his head, clearly not wanting to hear the details while Poe rolled his eyes and continued, "Not to mention... no offense, pal, but you're not exactly the best mechanic on the base."

When BB-8 admitted that he wasn't the one to fix Poe's ship, his master stared at him in confusion, "Not you? But then who--"

Another beep sounds from just over his shoulder and when Poe stood up to turn around, he noticed a clear-domed R-series astromech droid rolling over to the two of them. Poe smiled gently, "You did this? Then... I guess I owe you a thank you. What's your designation?" When the droid responded, Poe repeated her answer, "Ivee. Okay, good enough. Thank you. But why did you fix my ship? I mean, you've never met me."

The new droid chirps softly while she and BB-8 scooted closer to one another. Poe tilted his head, "For Beebee? But I don't--"

He didn't need to finish his question as both Ivee and BB-8 rolled away, beeping and chatting in Binary amongst themselves when it suddenly clicked in Poe's brain, muttering to himself as he runs a hand over the wing of his ship, "Huh. Good for you, pal."

"They say never underestimate a droid," Poe spun around and his ecstatic smile returns when Elara approached with a swagger in her step and a smug smile, "But Ivee _did_ have a little help on the repairs. She just wants to have all the credit."

Poe doesn't respond as he rushes over to her, crouching down to pick her up and swing her around in the air. Elara laughs out of surprise until she's lowered down to his height so he could smother her in a deep kiss, nearly knocking her off her feet but Poe was able to keep her in place with his arms. She's still giggling into his lips until he pulls away, but only far enough to whisper, "Thank you."

"I didn't do it for you," Elara winks, "I did it for Beebee-Ate, too. He's quite the ladies man."

"He learns from the best."

~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the base's mess hall, Karé is trying to gently let down her boyfriend, Snap, as they sit across from each other for drinks. She holds her head down to stare at their conjoined hands before slowly pushing his away, "I'm sorry, Snap. This is how it has to be."

"Karé... I don't understand. This can't be what you want. We're _good_ together. Really good."

"We are," she tries to smile encouragingly, "We're too good. That's why we need to... we need to take a break. You can feel the way things are going, just like I can. It's all just getting _intense_."

"What's wrong with intense? Some people spend their whole _lives_ looking for intense!"

"I don't mean us, Snap. I mean all of _this,_ " she points to all the other soldiers and fighters sitting or standing around the mess hall, mixing into conversations with one another with a drink in their hand for their much-needed breaks, "The Resistance. Think about the missions we've been flying-- Black Squadron's supposed to be covert, below the radar... but how many times have we actively engaged with First Order forces recently? This cold war is feeling pretty blasted hot. You've been fighting battles even longer than I have-- since you were a kid. You know I'm right."

Snap leans back in his chair, glaring down at the table while in thought, "Yeah. Probably. But what does that have to do with _us_?"

"Do you know how _small_ the Resistance is? It's not like the Rebellion-- they had _thousands_ of pilots. We've got what, like, twelve? Thirteen? One bad mission could wipe us all out, and then it's all over... _for the entire galaxy_! I adore you, Snap, but if I'm thinking about you, my head's not 100% in the fight. The Resistance can't afford that."

"But _we're_ what we're fighting for, Karé!" Snap abruptly stands up, trying not to show his irritation cracking, "We're the _entire_ _point_!"

"I know that, love," Karé lowers her head again, "We're fighting... but we haven't _won_. General Organa once told me about how the Jedi used to be-- she learned from her father. They swore off all attachments-- never let themselves get _connected_."

The male pilot scoffs, "Well, yeah, sure, but have you _met_ Elara? Even her parents-- _married_ parents, by the way, were Jedi. They didn't care about whether or not attachments mattered--"

"And look where that got them," Karé didn't dare try to raise her voice, sighing in exhaustion, "Elara's mom is dead... and her father might be, too."

"You don't..." Snap's eyes grew wide with sadness, "You don't mean that, Karé. Elara's our friend..."

"I know, and I adore her," the female pilot rested her face in her hand, the free one clutching her drink until her knuckles creaked, "But Luke Skywalker _abandoned_ his own child after he lost his wife. Maybe there's a reason why Jedi should not have any connections..."

"So what you're saying is that Poe and Elara should break up, too?" Snap narrowed his eyes down suspiciously at her.

Karé snapped her head up, eyes wide with hurt as she quickly tries defending herself with a slightly raised voice, "No, I didn't mean that! I'm _happy_ for them, Snap."

"Then why aren't you happy for _us_?"

"I was just saying that Jedi had given up so much. They sacrificed any normal, happy futures for their cause. They just did what they had to do. For now... just for now... I think maybe... we should try that."

She stares worriedly up at Snap as he gritted his teeth, glaring down at her until he turned to walk away, letting her lose her posture and start to cry in her hands when he wasn't looking, "Fine. Let's be Jedi."

~~~~~~~~~

Across the base, Zari Bangel, another female human pilot with short red hair and blue eyes, was trying to convince her friend, Jessika Pava, to try finding a suitable astromech droid for her X-Wing after already losing several other droids on missions.

" _Why_ do I have to do this? Skywalker flies around without a droid all the time!"

"I know, I know," Zari rolls her eyes, "And no matter how many times Poe tries to convince her otherwise, she doesn't give in. _Trust_ me, I've seen it before. But Jess, listen-- you can't keep flying missions without an astromech."

"You think I don't know that, Zari? _They_ don't want to fly with _me_. You know what they call me, right?"

Zari sighs, "The Great Destroyer."

"Yeah. I don't know if it's a joke or a _superstition_... and I didn't know droids were capable of either."

"They're more complex than we think-- a lot happens once you let that programming spin for a while. Things can get weird. From what I've seen-- droids, especially astromechs, because they do so much calculating... they get really focused on statistical anomalies. They just keep processing and processing until they can find an explanation. It's what you or I might call an _obsession_. Astromechs get lost in battle-- it happens, and they know that. But you seem to lose a lot more than the average pilot. It's one of those anomalies they don't like."

"But that's not my _fault_! It's just bad luck!"

"Bad luck. Sounds like superstition to me," Zari wraps an arm around Jessika's shoulders and led her into the hangar while opening the door, "Anyway, I asked them all to gather here, so they can meet you-- maybe if you spend a little time with them, they'll see that you're not the Great Destroyer."

"I'm _not_."

"Okay. Good. But don't tell me... tell _them_. One of _these_ guys will be the best astromech you've ever had. I just know it."

Jess wasn't expecting such a huge crowd of astromechs to show up. Already, she noticed BB-8 with his friend, Ivee up in front of the crowd, and made a note to obviously not pick Poe's very own droid as she awkwardly waves at the others, "Uh... hey, uh... everyone."

"Excuse me--" The two women turn to see C-3PO approach them while holding a datapad in his red arm, "I apologize for the interruption. Have either of you seen General Organa? I must speak to her."

"Sorry, Threepio," Jess flashed a sympathetic smile, "I'm sure she's around, but I haven't seen her. I've been focused on this whole thing with the-"

She gestures over to the droids, only to turn and notice that all but BB-8 have vanished just as she finishes her sentence, "-astromechs..."

Zari crossed her arms with a disappointed look while C-3PO doesn't pay any mind to it as he turns away to continue his search. Jess only stares dumbfounded at BB-8 until he flipped out his trusty lighter in her direction, to which she places her hands on her hips and frowns, "Are we sure that means what we _think_ it means?"

~~~~~~~~~

Not long after C-3PO found Leia and relayed some information to her, the General summons Black Squadron and when she meets them, all dressed up in their matching orange flight suits, she barely looks in their direction while only staring down at her datapad, "All right, good. You're all here. We need to--"

When she finally looked up, however, she noticed that the majority of them, Snap, Jess, and Karé, looked angry and weary of one another with sorrowful gazes. The only ones who didn't appear to share these emotions -not counting Suralinda, who would be coming back from her own mission Leia had assigned her today- were Poe and Elara. And if the team's facial expressions didn't give away the tension between them, their signatures that Leia could sense through the Force did, "Wait. Your team looks like... what's with all the negative energy, Dameron?"

"Uh..." Poe nervously looked around, "I'm sure it's just a passing thing, General. I mean, we're Black Squadron. We're the best! Am I _right_ , people?"

The others didn't appear to share their leader's enthusiasm as Jess only responds with a mellow, "Yup."

"Whatever's going on... get over it," Leia advises while addressing the situation, "Things just got serious. In one of your early missions, you obtained a list of possible locations for the explorer Lor San Tekka."

Poe nods, "Right. From Grakkus the Hutt."

"Yes. Lor should be able to help us find my brother Luke-- and if we find Luke, this whole thing turns around."

"Absolutely. Get a Jedi on our side, the First Order's done."

Snap rolled his eyes while muttering under his breath, "Jedi. Great."

Elara looks between Poe and Snap, feigning a hurt expression, "What is this? Act-Like-Elara's-Not-Here Day?"

Poe flashes her an apologetic smile while Leia continues explaining the ordeal, "Threepio has been monitoring the locations Grakkus gave us using his network of droid operatives, hoping Lor would show up at one of them. He did. Cato Neimoidia. They've got all kinds of things locked away in their vaults, and apparently Lor wanted a look at something in one of them."

"Fantastic!" Poe slaps his hand onto his helmet nestled against his hip in excitement, "Let's go get him!"

"Not that simple," Leia sighs slowly through her nose, "Lor San Tekka was arrested. He's under heavy guard awaiting trial. The Neimoidians take their security seriously."

"Okay. Huh. _Not_ fantastic. So... what do you want us to do?"

"You said it, Poe," the General smirks, "Let's go get him."

She leads them all to her office to explain the plan of attack, starting off with the obvious conclusion of what they're about to pull off, "So we need to rescue Lor San Tekka from Cato Neimoidia, where he's gone and gotten himself locked up."

Elara hums thoughtfully, "Sounds like him."

"He was trying to steal something from one of the Baron's vaults, got caught, and so now we need to steal him. Now, it's no secret that I've spent my share of time around smugglers," Elara snorts to emphasize how underwhelming her aunt phrased that, Leia rolling her eyes in response, " _You_ watch your mouth, young lady. Your mother was one of them," Elara straightens her posture but continues to grin like said smugglers Leia has shared her time with, causing the General to sigh, "As I was saying, I've seen heists. I've seen scams. I've seen it all... and I was paying attention. To my mind, any successful criminal venture requires at least three things. First... dishonesty. Lying's the biggest part of the game. You have to be good at it. What you say you're doing isn't what you're doing. You need to be able to lie so well your mother wouldn't see it. You need to believe what you're saying, even if it's the furthest thing from the truth. Actually, _that_ part's pretty similar to politics. Now, the second key to successful criminal activity... misdirection. If you're _here_ ," she lifts up once fist before raising the other, "You want everyone looking _here_. Now, how do you get them to look where you want? Pretty simple. You give them something to look at."

After she explains a little bit of the plan, Jess tries rephrasing it, "Okay-- Snap, Karé, and I are the misdirection, you are the lie, and Elara and Suralinda are with you," she points over to Poe, "What's _he_ going to do?"

"Ah, yes, Poe Dameron," the General draws out his name as if she just remembered he was standing right next to her, "There's another thing that can be pretty useful in high-stakes heist-type situations. You don't always have one, but it's always better if you do. An _inside_ _man_."

When she explains how she's going to get Poe inside, the pilot backtracks with a doubtful expression, "You want to stick me in a _crate_? What if they find me?"

"You'll be fine. I'll go to a rival of House Maccon first. It'll allay suspicion, and I can play it to make sure you don't get scanned on the way in."

"You sure you wouldn't rather just have me flying? I'm good at flying."

"You're good at lots of things, Poe. I bet you're pretty good at climbing, for instance. Let me give you the whole plan before you start throwing out objections. This all makes sense, I promise. People tend to build vaults so that people can't break into them. Breaking out... less of a concern. Threepio's droid operatives were able to slice into House Maccon's network and get us a plan of the vault system. The treasure vaults are right below the detention level-- it's all just one big facility. The Baron could have built them separately-- but lucky for us, he was too cheap. If you're outside, getting in is a problem. Security everywhere, all different kinds. But if you're already in... you're already in. One final thing seems to play a big role in pulling off this kind of thing... luck. Almost seems silly to mention it, since you can't plan for getting lucky. I've seen enough in my life to know it's not silly at all. Luck is crucial. Most times, you're lucky or you're dead. But let's say it all comes together-- luck, lies, everything. If it all works, you get away clean. And they have absolutely _no_ idea how you did it."

~~~~~~~~~

Everyone starts making preparations for their prison break mission. Jess went off to make some modifications to her ship while Poe wanted to test out the suspension and mechanics to his newly fixed vessel. So when he mentioned taking his X-Wing out for a test run in one of the nearest temple ruins recently found on D'Qar, Snap had volunteered to tag along, wanting to blow off some steam. Poe and Elara took one look at each other and nodded in understanding, and then the boys took off. The moment their X-Wings were out of sight, however, Karé was suddenly escorted by Elara to her ship.

"Hey, Karé. Can I ask you something?"

Karé smiles, "Go ahead."

"What's going on between you and Snap?"

Her smile suddenly fades and her head lowers, "Nothing... I... we broke up."

Elara's eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline while her mouth dropped in surprise, "Why? I didn't realize you two were fighting."

"We... we weren't fighting. Everything was perfect."

"Then...?"

"Then I realized that maybe things were getting _too_ perfect... and that I was never thinking straight when on a mission because I was only thinking about him. I wasn't at the top of my game because he was a distraction in my head. I don't know, I just," she sighs while looking absolutely miserable. To Elara, Karé looked as though her pet Loth cat had gone missing, "I wanted to put the Resistance first."

Karé was expecting lots of things from Elara. She expected a lecture or even wise counsel from a Jedi-in-training like Skywalker. She expected a friend who would offer her shoulder to cry and comfort her after her break-up with Snap. But what she wasn't expecting was for Elara to start _laughing_.

Kun isn't exactly thrilled with this woman who she had claimed to be her friend and frowns, "What's so funny?"

Elara clutches her stomach as she recovers from laughing, shaking her head while trying to flash an apologetic smile, "Nothing, nothing, Karé. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. You just surprised me is all. It's just that... I actually told Poe the same thing."

Her eyes widen, not expecting _that_ kind of response, "Wait, really?"

"Yeah," Elara clears her throat and smiles to herself, "I made some rules for us to follow if we were gonna be together. The first rule, we never promise each other we'll come back alive after each mission. The second rule, we're going to be strictly professional on the battlefield and never worry about one another's safety. The Resistance comes first."

Karé looks at the other woman in shock, her jaw falling open slightly, "But... how could you promise each other something like that?"

"Technically, you can't," Elara shrugs, "But sometimes you just gotta have faith in each other. The entire time I've know you guys, you and Snap have been together. _You_ tell _me_ , can you trust Snap to always come back to you? I know it's a difficult question to answer. I mean, how can you? We're in the middle of this... cold war, and if it becomes something more than that... then how can you be so sure he'll make it out alive? Or you, for that matter?"

She reaches over and pats Karé on the shoulder just as they make it to her X-Wing, "Just something for you to think about. I won't force you to make a decision. Hey, I gotta meet with the General. Are you gonna be okay?"

Karé genuinely smiles and nods, "I am. Thank you, Elara."

"Anytime."

~~~~~~~~~

After Poe and Snap got back from getting some air and a much-needed chat, everyone else was making last-second touches before they took off to Cato Neimoidia. Poe was examining all the crates Leia planned on bringing with her on her ship to hide the one he would be stowed away in. 

Elara walks out to join him by the ship after she and Leia dressed themselves up in proper attire. While the General was to wear an appropriate Alderaanian dress, Elara chose one that spoke of her grandmother's culture in Naboo. She had chosen one of her favorite outfits that she always kept well-preserved for any political occasion she had to attend to. It was a mountain-grass green dress that flowed smoothly all the way down to her feet with a green-beaded chest piece. The banded sleeves exposed the shoulders and wrapped around her upper arms, and from the bands dangled small little green tassels that tickled her skin. On each wrist, she wore matching oval bracelets shaped with perfectly smooth green stones. Her dark brown hair was held up and pushed behind her ears by multiple braids working together to intertwine her thick locks down the train of her exposed back. Resting on her forehead was an emerald headpiece that disappeared into her braided hair.

She hadn't yet said anything to Poe as he looks up from his task and his lips form a lop-sided grin, his eyes sparkling as he pointedly looks up and down Elara's frame with a look of devious approval. When she sees his lips start to move, she lifts her hand, " _Don't_."

"I didn't say anything!"

Her eyes narrowed playfully at him, "You were going to."

Poe flashed a guilty smile while turning his head and forcing himself to stare back at the crates, "I _was_ gonna say how I'm not entirely sure if smuggling me in is going to be easy."

"Trust me, Dameron, smuggling runs in the family," Elara grins while nodding confidently, "Leia and I can get you in. Come on, now. Don't you trust me?"

She drops the smirk to a more sincere smile as Poe draws close to her with an unquestioning glance into her eyes, "Commander, I trust you with my _life_."

Her smile is warm and bright that complimented the flutter in her stomach, "Good," she reaches up and offers him an item, "But, here's a breathing mask just to be safe."

Poe chuckles as she helps him up into one of the crates, getting him situated and cozy in his hiding spot before he decides to open his mouth while looking up and down her frame again, "But can I just stay that you look absolutely stunning--" he doesn't get to finish his sentence as she closes the door on him, and instead shouts through the door with a voice of adoration and praise, "You complete me!"

She's glad he couldn't see her as her response was to blush and shake her head, smiling to herself before shaking out of it as Suralinda and Leia join her by the ship. The General wore a stunning white, blue, and gold dress that also trailed down all the way to her feet. She wore a similar headband as Elara while her hair was back up in their signature buns, covering both of her ears, and a couple of choker necklaces settled around her neck. Suralinda served as a bodyguard to both aunt and niece for this undercover operation, and so wore a more flexible gown that actually served as flowing pants along with a nice vest and a sash tied around her waist to hold onto her blasters.

Suralinda grinned at the young Skywalker with her sharp teeth and purple lips, "Did Poe call you a princess? I told him he didn't have the balls to."

"That doesn't surprise me," Elara comments while taking Leia's elbow when offered to her, "Are we ready then?"

"Yes," it still amazes Elara to this day how much younger Leia could look when she smiled mischievously, "Let's do this."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the longest adventures in Black Squadron history is well on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the time I am publishing this, it is officially 05/04/2020 at 12:27 am. May the Fourth be with you all! Always!

Leia, Elara, and Suralinda wait as the ship's ramp slowly lowers and then step down onto the planet Cato Neimoidia, immediately met by Baron Reya, in yellow robes that contrast his green, wrinkled skin, and beaded eyes, "Welcome! Welcome! Fondest of greetings to you!"

Leia folds her hands in front of her as the baron bows respectfully, "It's very good to be here."

When he straightens again, he holds his hands out to Elara, "Ah! So this is your niece that is so famously mysterious. What a charming young woman! Such a pleasure, Lady Skywalker."

Elara inwardly grapples at herself, knowing she should feel flattered, but in reality, she feels too regal and doesn't deserve to be treated as such. She wasn't a princess like her aunt. She doesn't even come from a rich family and the attention made her uncomfortable. But, she was also raised by Leia and so, therefore, knew how to fake a smile like a true politician, "Thank you for having us, Baron Reya. We know that a busy individual such as yourself shouldn't have to take time out of his day to host us and we appreciate the hospitality."

"Not at all! All of my clients are important to me and shall be treated as such when they arrive at my palace. So what items do you plan on placing in our secured vaults?"

Leia nods to Suralinda and the female Squamatan activates the cargo to start unloading from the ship. Once all of it was unloaded, Leia opened the first crate to show Baron Reya a magnificent gown. It was made of a smooth fabric that towards the top is white, but slowly goes from pink and then to purple the further down it goes. The dress is held up by a metal necklace and meant to go around the neck of the wearer. There was also a matching set of metal armbands that sport as the sleeves, a small train running down to the ground. It was the exact same style as Elara's dress since it also was meant to display comfort in the warm climate of Naboo.

"Stunning. Just stunning," Reya gasped, his hands clapped together in front of his mouth while staring at the gown in delight. Elara stood next to him with a more speechless expression compared to the baron's, for her eyes have also never seen such a beautiful dress.

"Yes. It belonged to my mother. They all did."

Elara's eyes widen even further before she even thinks about looking away from the dress to show her reaction to Leia. The General smiles softly at Elara and nods with subtly to confirm her niece's suspicions. Elara's gaze darts back to the dress once she knew she was staring at an item that belonged to Padmé Amidala.

"She had excellent taste," Baron Reya compliments.

"It seems so. I only know her from the things she owned, and the stories told to me by people who knew her," Leia reaches up and gently touched the front sash of the dress, dawning a sad, thoughtful gaze, "These gowns were kept on Naboo for many years after her death and eventually found their way to me. These matter to me, very much. I like to think of my granddaughter wearing them-- if I ever have one. I want them kept safe."

"But of _course_ , Princess Organa. I have the safest vaults on all of Cato Neimoidia! We are the very _best_."

"That's why I'm here. But it's just Leia now."

"Oh, no-- Among my people, we believe in honoring our history. What we were is what we are," Elara pulls a face when Reya's back was turned to her as she now officially hated the Neimoidian culture if that was their motto, "The same is true for you, princess!"

"Could be. Time will tell, I suppose," Leia appears to feel the same as her niece and only answers with a short response as she closes the door to her mother's gowns, "I'd like to see your vaults, please. These items represent my hope for the future. I want to see how you will protect them."

"Certainly, madam. I think you will be very pleased," he bows again and gestures to the entrance of his palace. Leading the way, Reya brought the women to a hallway of golden columns, and between each pillar was a highly secure vault, "As you can see, we have all the very latest security measures in place. There is no safer place on all of Cato Neimoidia-- and as you know, Cato Neimoidia prides itself on being a _very_ safe place."

Leia nods, "Yes, Baron Reya. I have to say, this is all very impressive."

"I am delighted to hear that! We should return to the palace. We will eat and drink, and discuss the small matter of House Reya's very reasonable fees. It will be an _honor_ to have you as a client, Princess Organa. Such a great--"

The ground suddenly rumbles with an explosion, and immediately, Suralinda draws her blaster while eyeing down the hallway, not daring to look away while handing Elara another blaster.

"What was _that_ , Baron Reya?" Leia raises a suspicious eyebrow.

Reya nervously looks between her and down the hallway, holding his hands up, "I'm sure it was _nothing_. Nothing at all. But perhaps we can just stay down here for a short while. As I said, we are _completely_ safe."

"Oh, I'm sure. Suralinda," Leia holds out her hand and Sura hands her the last blaster kept on her person.

"Here you go, boss."

The three women hug the wall as Reya's guard droids aim blindly through the dust and smoke starting to spread from down the hallway. Leia hums out loud, "Haven't done _this_ in a while."

"You can stay back if you want," Suralinda motions between herself and Elara with her blaster, "We can handle it."

"Are you _kidding_? This is the part I was looking forward to the _most_!"

Reya keeps trying to ramble and reassure his guests with his voice rising, "This is _nothing_ to worry about, I assure you. All of this will be over shortly. And then... those refreshments I mentioned! I'm sure we could all use some nice refresh--"

"Intruders have breached the exterior wall of the palace," one droid announces, "Defend the interests of House Rey--"

Reya's guard droids are suddenly shot down and Leia grips her blaster tighter, "Get ready. They're coming," she sees silhouettes and points her blaster through the smoke, "There they are-- take 'em down!"

The three women begin to fire back as Baron Reya yells over the shots, "No! No! How is this happening?"

"It is very simple, Baron Reya," everyone stops firing as another baron steps through the smoke wearing dark red and black robes, his two matching guard droids standing behind him as he grins wickedly, "Your vaults are _not_ safe. Not very safe at all."

"Can someone please tell me what in all the fragging hells is going on here?" Leia feigns irritation while pointing at the new baron, "Who are _you_?"

"I am Baron Paw Maccon," he bows, "Ruler of the eternal House Maccon, my lady. And this is all just business, nothing more."

"How _dare_ you, Maccon?" Reya spat, "This is my client!"

"Oh, no, Reya. The princess is not your client yet, thank the spores. She has not yet made the terrible mistake of hiring you to protect her treasures."

"Mistake? There is no _mistake_!"

"I disagree. For how can the Reya Vaults be safe, Princess Organa," Maccon gestures to himself while addressing Leia, "If _I_ can just walk right in? But the Maccon Vaults-- they are an entirely different matter. _Nothing_ can breach them."

Leia pointedly stares at Reya while debating Maccon's words, "You know... he does sort of have a point."

"HA!"

"This... This is outrageous!" Reya announces.

Leia points at Maccon, demanding, "You can have the contract-- but I need this matter _done_. No tours, no refreshments, no endless security scans. I just want my goods in your vaults _now_. If that's a problem, I'll find somewhere else. Another planet entirely. This has already taken far too long."

"No problem whatsoever, my lady," he grins, "I am at your service."

Elara and Suralinda watched this scene from the sidelines up until Leia asked of them to bring the cargo to Maccon's palace, so they leave ahead of their General to do as she says. As they leave Reya's palace, Suralinda muttered under her breath, "Well, _that_ was easy."

"Of course it was," Elara dared to smile genuinely this time at her companion, "It's _Leia_ after all. But we still have to actually get _into_ the vaults. We're not at the hard part yet."

So the two younger women gather the crates holding Padmé's dresses with Poe hidden among them and had them transferred from Reya's to Maccon's palace, and as they enter the vaults, Sura makes sure to dote on the items once Maccon guided them inside, "Easy with these things! Precious cargo, okay?"

"Of course, of course," he agrees, "Your mistress has nothing to worry about, I assure you."

Elara looks over her shoulder to spot Leia after she had excused herself to take a private call. When the young Skywalker raised her eyebrows, Leia only nods to confirm that they were good to continue. The three women are led away to see the gowns safely put in the vaults by Baron Maccon as he gives them the tour, "As you see, Princess Organa, your gowns are safely stored in our most secure vault. _Nothing_ can get to them here. Now, as this business is concluded, I thought perhaps you might enjoy watching the execution of a _thief_ we recently caught."

"Why, yes, Baron Maccon," Leia's tone was tired at best, as she tried not to shiver at the thought of enjoying an execution at all, "That sounds delightful," as she says this, alarms start sounding and again, Leia raises her eyebrows suspiciously at her host, "What is this, Maccon?"

"It's... nothing," he answers slowly, "I'm sure it's nothing. Just relax. You're perfectly safe," he turns to his nearest guard droid, "Report! What is the meaning of this!"

"We have three unauthorized starfighters inbound, my lord. They've breached the perimeter sensors and are on an intercept course with the palace."

"Identification?"

"Negative, my lord. No transponders. They're all older model military."

"Ah, I see. Launch all defense forces," the droids leave their boss and his guests, the baron turning to address the ladies, "This is nothing to worry about. Pirates, hoping for a quick raid. They will soon see what a mistake they have made."

Suralinda appears guarded with one hand on her blaster and the other protectively on Leia's shoulder, "How are _starfighters_ attacking your palace not a problem?"

"Because, my dear, House Maccon does not just put its resources into building our vaults. We invest in _all_ forms of security," he grins while stepping aside and motioning them forward, "Please, ladies, come with me. I think you will find this _very_ entertaining-- and instructive as well."

They follow him out onto a balcony, where above, in the sky, they could see their undercover Black Squadron being attacked by Baron Maccon's fleet, just as they had planned, "You see? Do you see how House Maccon protects its clients' interests? None of the other barons have such resources at their disposal, Princess Organa. Now, let us sit back and enjoy the show," the baron snaps his fingers at another droid, "Refreshments! Right away!"

"Of course, Baron Maccon. Right away."

Drinks were served as the battle continued above their heads. Leia subtly touches the metal bracelet she wore on her wrist and finds a hidden button she uses to signal Poe's crate door to open. Now with Poe inside the vaults, Leia looks over at Elara and nods. Her niece thanks Maccon for her drink as she absentmindedly touches her own bracelet, pressing the center greenstone, and now the inside of her wrist displays a clock projected from her bracelet. The clock ticks down as to how long Poe will have until time's up and he's supposed to have Lor San Tekka rescued. Leia and Elara join Suralinda at the railing of the balcony, the three women closely watching the X-Wings with feigned interest as to not give away their concern when Maccon's fleet suddenly stops firing and instead tries to dive-bomb into the Black Squadron's ships. Maccon laughs at the scene, raising his arms with a goblet in hand, "This battle will soon be _over_! I've deactivated the droid fighters' self-preservation circuits. Now they can _ram_ those blasted raiders! If they can't _shoot_ them down, they'll _knock_ them down!"

Elara shivers while Suralinda tries to appear concerned for Maccon's wealth instead of her friends, "But... aren't those ships _expensive_? You really want to burn through them like that?"

"House Maccon will spend _any_ amount to protect the interests of its clients!" Maccon cheers just as Leia notices a flashing light coming from her metal bracelet, indicating that Poe has reached the objective and has acquired Lor San Tekka from his holding cell. The baron turns to her with a wide, proud smile and she quickly averts her gaze to him, "I hope this puts all your fears to rest, princess."

With the signal given from Poe, Leia decides her next move, "Actually, Baron, this makes me very uncomfortable. I would like to remove my goods from your vault. Now."

Maccon is stunned with disbelief, never noticing Elara reach down to stop the timer on her own bracelet as he quickly regains his posture and tries to gain back her interest, "I assure you, this is the safest place in the galaxy! Is it our fee? Surely you see that our prices are commensurate with our high level of service!"

"No," Leia sternly explains, "I've realized that it simply feels _wrong_ to leave my mother's gowns in the hands of a stranger. After all, you would only be guarding them because I pay you. For the _money_. But if I'm the one watching over them... I would do it for _love_. Now, if you will excuse me, Baron Maccon, I'm getting a call I need to take in private. Suralinda will make the arrangements to have my property returned to my ship."

"Of course, my lady," Suralinda bows her head with a knowing grin, "Immediately."

"Very well," Maccon straightens his back with a stern sneer, "I cannot stop you, but do not come crawling back to me when you have your inevitable second thoughts! The doors of House Maccon are closed to you... forever!"

"How very tragic," Leia deadpans as she reaches for her communicator to take her call from Snap, who was flying somewhere up above in this whole mess of a battle.

Elara feels a spark of pride in her chest to see the rage in Maccon's huge, beaded eyes while Leia finishes up her call and rejoins her niece at the balcony. They wait patiently for Suralinda to return and watch the sky for any other X-Wings to arrive. Slowly, in the distance, they see the familiar black and orange vessel being flown by BB-8 coming straight towards them, and so the two women pull away from the balcony and follow Maccon back into the palace. They meet Suralinda back outside when she informs them that the dresses are ready to be loaded back onto the ship, and so the small crowd heads towards the landing docks. When Baron Marron spots a ship that wasn't his, he speaks his thoughts out loud.

"I see you called down a fighter of your own."

"Yes," Leia nods, "I had it waiting in orbit in case I needed it-- and I don't want to take any chances with those pirates. I just want to leave and go safely."

"Of course. But Princess Organa-- there is still a matter we must discuss."

"Oh? What is that?"

"Well, you see, your goods were stored in my vault. Not for very long, it is true, but they were here, nevertheless. A service was provided, and now the fee must be provided as well."

Leia turns to glare at the baron, "You can't be serious. It was a matter of _hours_. At _most_."

Maccon isn't afraid of Leia Organa enough and just glares right on back, "I am _extremely_ serious. Are you trying to _cheat_ me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Maccon. This is the prettiest thing I've heard in my entire--" Leia catches herself raising her voice and pauses, sighing in defeat while turning to Suralinda, "This won't take me long to resolve. Get the cargo loaded, and get our guard pilot in the air. I want an escort getting off this rock."

"Absolutely," Suralinda grins and walks off, having seen enough after witnessing the offended look on Maccon's face.

Leia and Elara exchange a look before they turn back to the baron, "Now, in what planet in the entire galaxy does it sound fair to charge someone a fee they have not fully agreed to?"

"With all due respect, princess," Maccon's tone is flat, with no actual respect as the women immediately catch on, "You did, in fact, agree to my fee and then turned around and changed your mind. I hosted you, I treated you to some fine hospitality and even wasted perfectly good droids trying to protect your interests by ramming them onto threatening raiders."

"You said it yourself," Elara cuts in, "That House Maccon would spend _any_ amount to protect the interests of its clients."

"But you are not my client, are you, Lady Skywalker?" Maccon points out while folding his arms and raising his chin, "Since you refuse to pay for the short amount of time I have provided safety for your aunt's precious cargo."

" _Safety_? More like _concern_."

"I have offered refreshments and entertainment. That should not come free."

Leia and Elara exchange another look before staring back at the baron in defeat. As they are about to offer a price, they hear the familiar engine of their ship roar. Spinning around, their eyes widen as Suralinda starts running back to the ship but it's too late. It takes off into the air and starts leaving the planet before disappearing into hyperspace, Poe's X-Wing rising into the air too little too late in order to catch up to it. Instead of worrying about it, however, Poe's X-Wing takes off towards the battle to aid the others.

Leia watches this in disbelief, muttering under her breath, "No."

Maccon just watches on in amazement, nearly driven speechless, "Princess Organa... what is happening?"

"Someone just _stole_ my _ship_ , Baron Maccon."

"Ah," the sneer facade quickly returns that makes Elara's blood boil, "Most unfortunate. All your lovely dresses, gone. If only you had just kept them in my _vaults_."

Leia whips back to glare at him like a viper, "It's not about the damn _dresses_ , you--"

"I need to get _up there_."

Elara turns back around to see her flyboy running towards them, "Poe? Weren't you just in your fighter--"

"Someone's flying my fighter-- heading straight for the battle," he lowers his voice so only Elara and Leia could hear him, "The rest of Black Squadron won't know it isn't me. If whoever has my ship attacks... Karé and the others will be completely taken by surprise. I _need_ to get _up there_."

"In _what_ , Poe?" Leia points over to Suralinda, who's watching the sky with her hands on her head in frustration, "They took my ship, too."

"I..."

"This is a disaster," Suralinda mutters.

A lightbulb goes off in Poe's head and he points a finger at Baron Maccon, "Hey! Do _you_ have any ships? Anything I can use? A fighter?"

"Of course. I am a collector. I have examples of some of the finest ships in the galaxy," Maccon flashes a snake-like grin while rubbing his fingers together, "But it will _cost you_."

Elara growls as she's finally had enough of this low-life _bug_ , "The Hell it won't!" 

Before Leia could even pitch in a word, Elara steps right into Maccon's space and waves her hand, speaking in a clear and calm tone, "You will _gladly_ loan one of your ships to Poe Dameron."

Within seconds, Baron Maccon's back straightens and his smile is directed back towards Poe, "I will _gladly_ loan you one of my ships, Poe Dameron! Please, right this way! It would be my pleasure!"

As Maccon begins to walk away, Elara breaks the connection and sighs in relief, "That felt good," she looks around to notice everyone staring at her, along with Poe who's smile is so wide it nearly reaches his eyes. Elara quirks an eyebrow at him, "What?"

Poe quickly dips down to kiss her cheek, "You are so cool," before he runs off to follow Maccon.

The two of them walk into Maccon's hangar and the baron points to a beautiful ship stationed in the center of the room, "I trust this will suffice? The personal fighter of a Kesselian spice magnate. He fell on hard times, and I was able to acquire it for my collection. Very fast, very powerful-- and, of course, kept in _top_ condition."

"Oh, yeah. That's nice. That's _real_ nice."

Meanwhile, Suralinda and Elara hopelessly watch the battle raging above them while Leia states the obvious, "We have to get my ship back, and we can't do that if Black Squadron is destroyed."

"You think whoever took it knew what they were stealing?" Sura turns to her, "Could just be pirates."

"Pirates wouldn't be using Poe's ship to attack our people. They'd just have stolen it and left. No, whoever's behind this knows that's Black Squadron, and knows we're the Resistance. I hate to say it... but I think they know _exactly_ what they have."

~~~~~~~~~

Poe had been able to get up into the air in time to stop Commander Malarus from hurting any of his friends using his own ship. The female First Order officer eventually crashlands into Baron Reya's hangar and he arrests her, while Poe's newly fixed ship was now in pieces yet again, and Sura voices her thoughts to him once he's back on the ground with the rest of them.

"I'm sorry you lost your ship, Poe."

"It looked like it was mostly intact when it hit, Sura," he tries sounding hopeful with a small smile, "Maybe we can retrieve it somehow, repair it. We'll see. Anyway, I'd rather lose a fighter than a pilot, and we've got more important things to worry about."

"Yes. I'd say we do," Leia agrees, "If Malarus took your ship, Poe, that almost certainly means that Terex took mine. It's only a matter of time before the First Order has Lor San Tekka."

"You don't think they have him already?"

"I hid a tracker in with the gowns," Leia points to the bracelet on her raised wrist, "It sends a signal when it's in realspace-- and I'm not getting a signal now. That means Terex is still in hyperspace, and the moment he jumps out, we'll know his location. We can head to him, intercept and get Lor back."

"What if Terex is headed straight for a First Order base? Or if he kills Lor San Tekka while he's in hyperspace?"

"I know, Poe. The odds are against us-- we'll need a lot of luck. But there's still a chance. And when there's a chance... there's hope."

Leia contacts Threepio and has him send one of the Resistance's Heavy Cruisers, the Raddus, to come to pick everyone and their ships up. Once everyone was on board, the cruiser takes off into open space to wait for when Leia's tracker starts to beep. Meanwhile, Black Squadron gets to work quickly repairing their ships and washing themselves up. Suralinda, Leia, and Elara are able to change back into more comfortable clothes all the while Poe is in the ship's hangar, groaning at the sight of his salvaged X-Wing in pieces while scratching his head.

"Man, not _again_. We just got this thing _fixed_. You think you could ask your friend Ivee to help put her back together, Beebee?" He looks down at the droid stationed near his feet, "I know she sort of already _did_ , and it was sort of a favor to you, but..."

BB-8 looks across the way to spot Ivee helping her new partner, Jess out with some of her own repairs. The female droid only looks back at Beebee for a moment before looking away again, and BB-8 relays the silent message to his master. Poe huffs in amusement, " _Eventually_ , huh? That's what she said?" Another beep and Poe could only nod, "Ivee's not all that thrilled we didn't take better care of her nice repair job. I get it. Oh, well. Guess it's just you and me, pal."

"What am I, chopped liver to you, Dameron?" Poe spins around as Elara walks up wearing a fresh white t-shirt and cargo pants, her hair pinned up and holding a small maintenance kit in one hand while grinning between man and droid, "Luckily for you two boys, you got one of the greatest mechanics in the galaxy as your girlfriend."

Poe's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before a faint smile tug on the corners of his mouth. He stares at her as if he just walked into a dream before she snaps him out of it with her defensive tone, "...What?"

He shakes his head, but the smile was just barely showing, "Nothing. I just didn't know whether we were using labels or not. And did you just say you were _Beebee's_ girlfriend, too?"

Once it dawns on her that she used the word _'girlfriend'_ , she decides to play it cool and shrugs, "Of course. I can't have one of you without the other," she turns her gaze downward to wink at the droid rolling around near Poe's legs, "Right, buddy?"

BB-8 beeps sarcastically and both humans laugh just before Leia arrives, now back in her usual attire, "Repairs are going to have to wait, Elara. Poe, I need your team. Call them in. Suits and boots."

Poe turns back around to meet her gaze, "General Organa! Okay, give me a second-- I'll pull everyone together."

Once everyone has been rounded up, Leia explains the situation to those who didn't already know and what their next move will be, "All right, Black Squadron. We tried to retrieve Lor San Tekka safely from Cato Neimoidia. We failed. Agent Terex stole Lor right out from under us. He's probably on his way to deliver him to the First Order now."

"Terex," Snap mutters, "I hate that guy."

Jess smirks, "We _all_ hate that guy, Snap."

Elara shrugs and flashes a sarcastic smile, "I think he's charming."

"Lara," the General warns her niece before continuing, "The good news-- the _only_ good news-- is that I have a tracker on the ship Terex stole from us when he kidnapped Lor San Tekka. It's in with my mother's old gowns-- the ones we were originally planning to use as a decoy to get Lor off Cato Neimoidia. Terex is still in hyperspace, but the moment that ship and those dresses drop out of lightspeed, we'll have his location. I need all of you in your ships, in-flight, ready to head there the moment I get the signal. I don't want to lose a _second_."

"You heard the General," Poe turns to order the rest of his team, "Let's get out there."

The team splits up to get to their respective ships, the three women -apart from Suralinda- walking together as Karé addresses them, "Kind of funny, huh?"

Elara and Jess share a weird look before the latter spoke up, "What are you talking about, Karé? _Nothing_ about this situation seems funny."

"Oh, I dunno, Jess. Here we are, incredible pilots, veteran warriors, Jedi-in-training, three of the toughest ladies around. But somehow, in order to win this thing... we have to find some really nice dresses."

There's a moment of silence before Jess _does_ start to laugh under her breath as she turns towards Elara, "She's got a point, Skywalker. So is it true that your grandmother had great taste in fashion?"

"I would hope so," Elara smiles slightly, throwing on her helmet as the women walk past her X-Wing, "We'll have to take a peek at those dresses to find out."

"Sounds fun. We'll make it a girls' night," Karé grins victoriously as she got the other two women to laugh and waves while jogging off towards her own ship, "Good luck!"

Everyone flies outside and stays close to the cruiser, drifting a little as Poe radios in, "All right, we've got all the astromechs synced. The moment General Organa gets the signal, she'll send it to Beebee. He'll calculate the hyperspace coordinates, and we'll all jump at the same time. We don't know what we'll find on the other side. Might just be Terex in Leia's ship-- that'd be easy to handle. Maybe a First Order attack group. That'd be hard. Might even be the First Order homeworld. That'd be worse-- but we could do a lot with that intel. Could be anything at all."

"Any suggestions on what to do while we wait, Black Leader?" Karé asks.

"Just try to relax, but stay alert. Uh... Yeah. Relax, but stay alert."

Karé grins in amusement, "Thank you for that excellent advice, Black Leader. Will comply. Black Four out."

~~~~~~~~~

A couple of hours fly by as Black Squadron entertains themselves by flying around the cruiser, waiting for a signal from Leia. While waiting, Jess and Ivee have been running numbers to see how long Terex could be in hyperspace before the ship he stole from Leia runs out of fuel. If that tracker doesn't show up in that amount of time, Jess was pretty confident that Terex might have destroyed the ship or the tracker hidden among Padmé Amidala's dresses. She had told Poe not long ago and for now, they've been lying and waiting, until Ivee sings out and Jess stares down at the datapad in her lap. She goes back and forth with her droid before opening a commlink to Poe.

"Black Leader, come in. This is Black Three. I'm sorry, Poe. That's it. There's no way Terex could still be in hyperspace."

"You're sure, Jess?"

"Yeah. I even stretched the numbers a bit. Either the ship's gone, or the tracker is. I'm sorry. What are we going to do now?"

There was a long stretch of silence that follows Jessika's question. Poe lowered his head for a moment before peeking out the window to spot Elara's X-Wing beside him. She paid no attention to him, as she leaned her helmet against her hand, propping her elbow up on the window as she tries not to appear disappointed by the outcome of Jess' results, her eyes watching the beautiful stars in front of her with a sad expression. Her reaction doesn't help Poe, as he hated failing the General almost as much as he hated failing Elara.

"Poe?"

"I'm still here," he sighs before turning his X-Wing around, the others slowly following as they head back towards the cruiser, "Let's go tell the General."

~~~~~~~~~

They meet her in the control room and explain everything when she demanded to know why they weren't at their stations. When Jess relayed back the math equations to Leia, the General's face falls in denial, staring down at the rounded table Black Squadron was currently crowded around.

"No. That can't be right."

"I wish it weren't, General," Poe tries to gently comfort, "But I trust Jess' numbers over just about anyone's, and we ran the analysis through the ship's processors, too. Terex got away. The First Order probably already has Lor San Tekka."

When Elara thought Leia's face couldn't fall any further, it did. Neither of the women speaks for a while, the other Black Squadron members lowering their heads in shame as both aunt and niece silently mourn for a small loss. They lost the last pieces forming the memory of a woman they never had the privilege to meet, yes, but they also lost their only lead to finding a man they haven't seen or spoken to in years.

Leia's eyes droop in defeat, slowly speaking, "Then... that's it. They'll force him to tell them what he knows about Luke, and then... it's all over. After everything, it's all finally..." Elara nearly jumps out of her skin and out of her thoughts when Leia smacks her fist against the table, " **No**. That's not what I do. That's not what _we_ do. We keep fighting. No matter what. We'll find Luke another way. Isn't that right?"

"It is, ma'am. General. Absolutely right," Snap is quick to agree.

"100%. Black Squadron is with you," Poe nods sternly.

It's only after Leia looks over to get a confirming nod from Elara does she straighten herself up again, "Good. All right, let's get to wo--"

A Resistance fighter comes running in with a datapad under his arm, quickly interrupting, "General, pardon me, but we have a priority incoming transmission for Poe Dameron."

"From D'Qar?" She asks.

"No. Not from a known Resistance base or vessel-- but the transmission has all the correct authorization codes."

"Any identification?" Poe asks from over Leia's shoulder.

"Yes. He says his name is Terex."

Everyone in the room looks at one another with wide eyes. Poe shares a look with Leia before gritting his teeth. Setting his jaw, he accepts the call and a holovid of Terex's twisted face floats in the middle of the table. Elara wasn't sure if this was the first time seeing his face or not, but if she has, she doesn't remember the burns alongside the right side of his face. He was mostly bald apart from the single white strip of hair running up his head and a small mustache. A strange blue tattoo is marked over his left eye, his gaze absolutely wild as Poe addresses him, "How are you accessing our frequencies, Terex?"

_"Oh, please. I cracked Resistance codes ages ago. Don't worry, though. I never gave them to the First Order. It was more fun to make them think I was magically coming up with incredible intelligence out of nowhere."_

Poe only glares right back, "Where. Is. _Lor San Tekka_?"

_"Oh, he's hanging around. And before you ask, no, he's not with the First Order. But I did send them his location just before I called you."_

Snap spares a glance over at Karé, speaking of a private conversation they had earlier, "So much for signs."

"Yeah."

"Why would you do that?" Poe demands Terex, "The fate of the entire galaxy rests on that man."

_"For one thing, Poe, I think I've finally realized the key to happiness. **Stop caring about the fate of the galaxy**. Anyway, don't fret. I'm about to send you Lor's location, too."_

"I don't understand. Why?"

_"Short answer, because maybe the Resistance and the First Order will get there at the same time and tear each other apart. Or maybe they'll just kill you. Or maybe you'll just kill them. However it goes... I'm happy. Transmitting the coordinates now. Good luck. But even putting the First Order aside, Poe... you may want to hurry."_

~~~~~~~~~

Terex explains that Lor is currently floating out into open space wearing nothing but his clothes and a suit with a limited supply of oxygen. After Terex hangs up, Leia demands everyone to get a move on into their ships, instructing for a shuttle to escort Black Squadron to Lor's location. They all head out, and within moments of dropping out of lightspeed, they were caught in an all-out battle with the First Order who had also just arrived.

"Dive, dive!" Elara shouts as the TIE fighters don't even hesitate to fire at them the moment they arrived. The X-Wings quickly move out of the way of the cannons also coming from the First Order's cruiser hovering near the battlefield and Black Squadron are quickly scattered and divided by the enemy fighters.

"Keep up the pressure, Black Squadron!" Poe yells over the explosions and blaster fire rocking his ship outside his window, "Don't let these TIES near our shuttle!"

"Roger that, Black Leader," Jess responds before contacting her droid stationed in the pit of her ship behind her seat, "Ivee-- I know we're getting a ton of static from this nebula, but any leads on Lor San Tekka yet?" She faintly hears the beep of her droid's reply before fixing her eyes back on the fight, "Okay, Ivee-- sing out if you pick him up. Terex said his suit has a transponder-- has to be a signal out here somewhere."

For the next several moments, Ivee and BB-8 light-heartedly banter back and forth before Poe has to cut in, "Uh, buddy? I love that you and Ivee have gotten so close, but focus on the job, huh? I figure the nebula's interference won't let the First Order call for reinforcements, but they still have more firepower than we do. They know Lor San Tekka's out here, too. If they find him first, we've got problems."

There's static before a commlink from the Resistance shuttle comes through Poe's radio, _"Retrieval squad checking in, Black Squadron. We just picked up Lor San Tekka on our scanners. Don't worry, we'll go get him. You just keep those fighters off us, and we'll have him safe and sound in no time at all."_

"Roger that," Snap responds, "We'll do our job, you do yours."

And with that, they get to work. The X-Wings fly into formation and fire back at the TIE fighters with everything they've got as the shuttle team jump out of their ship and float over to retrieve the lone Lor San Tekka floating aimlessly around. Just as the small crew of men gets a hold of the long lost explorer, their shuttle is suddenly blown to smithereens and they all go flying off into space.

" **NO!** " Jess screams out in distress to seeing their shuttle destroyed.

Karé mutters under her breath, "No," before she pulls herself together and speeds towards some TIES that were trying to run away. She doesn't stop to look around to see if anyone was considering her a target as she relentlessly fires onto the TIES.

"Karé! Pull up!" Snap demands.

"Not until I get some payback for our shuttle, Snap."

"But you've got two more on your tail!"

"Guess that means you have some work to do, babe."

" _Babe_ , huh?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Moving into attack position," Snap flies in on the rear of the TIE fighters that were closing in on his possibly-not-so-much-of-an-ex-girlfriend and gets the bastards in range before firing, "One. Two. Three. _Got you_."

"Anyone got eyes on Lor San Tekka?"

Elara's gaze scans over the vast void of space before tightly clutching her controls, "I do. Unfortunately. On your five o'clock, Poe."

Dameron spins his ship around to face the spot Elara was looking and sees a group of stormtroopers with jetpacks flying around Lor San Tekka and dragging him towards the First Order cruiser, "If the First Order gets Lor back to their cruiser, that's it. They'll jump to hyperspace, and we're done."

"You can't pick off Stormtroopers, Poe. Not even you could make that shot, not without killing Lor San Tekka."

"I know that, Snap. I have a different plan. We won't kill the troopers-- we'll just make sure they have nowhere to go."

Elara side-eyes Poe from where his ship is flying next to hers, "We're listening."

"Black Squadron, form up on me," they all regroup around his X-Wing as they fly towards the First Order cruiser, "Concentrate all fire on the bottom left corner of their central aft shield. Just that one spot, everything we've got. Ignore everything else."

"Including those TIES coming at us?"

"Yes, Jess. We need to drill a hole through that shield."

"But even if we get through, it'll only be for half a second before they divert power and have it back up!"

"Half a second's all I need. All that _Lara_ needs," When he looks over his shoulder, Elara is already staring at him from her ship across the way, "It runs in the family. You get one shot, love. Make it count."

She grins, "You got it, Black Leader."

The X-Wings focus their fire on the cruiser, the big First Order ship trying to aim and hit them back with all the firepower they had. Jessika's seat lurches when something rattles her wing and shouts, "I'm hit!"

They can't afford to stop, however, and a part of the cruiser's shield suddenly gives way to form a small hole. Poe looks back over at Elara and nods, "Shield's down, hon."

Elara doesn't look anywhere but ahead, using her own eyes instead of her sights to aim her guns towards the hole in the shield. She only takes one, deep breath before pulling the trigger, "Bang."

Her blaster fire hits directly into the center of the hole and hits the cruiser. Within seconds, the big ship starts to lean on its side and loses all power, deactivating the entire shield and exposing itself to the X-Wings. Poe grins, "Cruiser's power's down. Take it out, Black Squadron."

The team flies over the cruiser and lays down some heavy fire, watching bits and pieces of the ship explode as they fly by, "How did you know that would work, Poe?"

"Thank Threepio and his droid spies. They found a design flaw in these First Order light cruisers, a power conduit too close to the hull. Not the kind of thing one fighter could exploit alone, but when you've got the right team... well, the results speak for themselves, eh?"

"Guys, I'm very proud of you, but my propulsion's out," Jess explains as smoke starts to bellow around her, warning lights flashing on her console as her ship floats on its own accord, "That cruiser got a lucky hit. I'm on the drift here. Ivee's working on it, but it might be a-- Oh... _blast_. Not good. The cruiser must have gotten off one last missile before you guys disabled it. It's headed right for me."

Poe's stomach drops as he tries pushing his controls to its limits, seeing Jessika's ship off in the distance, "Jess... we're coming. Just... keep trying to get your engines going. Just--"

"There's no way you'll get to the missile in time, Poe. It's all right. It'll be quick," Jess smiles to herself and looks up at the stars, admiring the view while waiting to join them until her droid starts to beep sternly, "What? You have an idea, Ivee? Can you fix the engines? Not my fault?" Jess tries peering over her shoulder when she noticed her droid fly out of the ship, floating out into space, away from the X-Wing, "Ivee, what are you _doing_?"

The missile locks onto Ivee's signature instead of Jess' ship, and before BB-8's horrified screams could reach Poe's ears, it was already too late. The missile hits Ivee and the explosion pushes Jess's ship away from any further danger. BB-8 lowers his dome head in mourning, the flames reflecting off his cyborg-eye.

_"Retrieval squad to Black Leader. Come in, Black Leader. We have eliminated the First Order troops and reacquired Lor San Tekka. Think you could radio up a new shuttle for us?"_

Poe smiles to himself, "Well, look at you guys. Tough as Hell. Glad you made it through. We'll get you a pick up as soon as we can. Good work, everyone. Let's go home."

~~~~~~~~~

Leia breathes out the most relieved sigh she could muster and smiles brightly when she recognizes the old man walking into her office back on D'Qar. Following behind him was her niece after she led him here, "Lor San Tekka. At last. I'm so glad we _found_ you."

"My lady Organa, the pleasure is extremely mutual," Lor greets harmoniously while clasping his hands around Leia's, "Now... please tell me how I can assist you."

"My brother. We need him."

"I thought perhaps that would be the case. The First Order rises, the galaxy moves towards war. As ever, the Skywalkers find themselves at the heart of it," Lor smiles warmly as he places a wrinkled hand on Elara's shoulder. She smiles back, patting the arm on her shoulder whilst Lor looks between the aunt and niece, "I will help, of course-- I do not know where Luke is at present, but I have my suspicions. Give me a ship, allow me to investigate a bit, and I will send word on where to meet me once I have his location."

"Of course. Whatever you need. We're grateful for your help," Leia assures, "I think we found you just in time. The First Order is barely pretending to hide its true intentions anymore. Everything we've already experienced, every battle, every loss... I'm afraid it's only the beginning."

"Perhaps," Lor smiles encouragingly, "Or perhaps the beginning of the _end_ , however that end might mean for us."

Leia graces the old man a hopeful smile before sensing a small wave of pain through the Force, practically bleeding from Elara's body. She nods to Lor, "If you'll excuse us, old friend, but Elara and I have much to discuss."

"Of course," Lor smiles and nods to Leia before addressing the younger woman with a small bow, "I expect to see you at the wedding?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Elara smiles, but it's weak in Leia's eyes. The moment Lor San Tekka exits the room, Leia turns back to the younger woman with a raised eyebrow.

"Wedding?"

"Didn't you hear? Karé and Snap got engaged the second we landed back home. You'll be expected to officiate them at the ceremony tomorrow," Elara types a few things down on her datapad, avoiding her aunt's eyes as she assumes her role as her assistant, "Don't worry. It's already fitted into your schedule. Preparations for the party have already been made."

"You've made preparations in the matter of hours you've been back?"

"I was motivated."

Leia hums knowingly, taking her niece's elbow and leading her over to her cushioned seats. They both sat down and Leia made sure that the young Skywalker was looking at her before continuing, "I can feel your anger, Elara. That's not particularly a good thing."

Elara stubbornly sticks her chin out, defiant, "It doesn't harm anyone to feel angry. It's a human emotion. If anything, anger is _motivation_ and that's how I was able to set up my friends' wedding so fast. And besides, I'm no Jedi, so what does it matter if I'm angry or not?"

They sat still for several moments until Leia's eyes soften and offer her niece an encouraging smile, "...What's wrong."

There's hesitation evident in Elara's eyes, staring at the General cautiously before looking back down at her datapad. Instead of anger, her signature starts to bleed sadness, much to Leia's concern, and the young woman rolls her lips together before shakingly sighing, "I... I know they were just dresses. But they were _hers_."

Leia closes her eyes, trying to breathe normally as she tries to be stronger than this, for the moment. It doesn't come out strong as she's sure Elara senses that crack in the void of the Force, "I know."

Elara finally looks up, knowing when Leia had opened her eyes without even seeing, "I wish I knew her, too, you know. I never knew either side of my grandparents."

Leia reaches over and pats her niece's hair, something she hasn't done in a very long time knowing that Elara isn't fond of constantly being coddled. But this time, the older woman was sure her brother's child welcomed it if the way her eyes close to her touch had anything to go by, "I know," she repeats, as an idea slowly strikes her and she stands up, holding out for Elara's hand after her eyes opened back up, "Come here. There's something I want to show you. This was something I refused to part with."

Elara's eyebrows scrunch and Leia was confident that if she kept pulling that face, Elara would be getting wrinkles much sooner past her thirtieth birthday. Slowly, her niece takes her frail hand and stands with her, letting Leia lead her out to her closet stationed in the corner of the office. Leia punches in her code and the double doors spring wide open for Elara to see a single dress on display inside.

It was beautiful. And for a heavy, old white fabric, it was still well-preserved and has not yet colored in age. It was lacy and embroidered with wonderful patterns, the front of the dress hanging low at the neck. The skirt was long enough to form a train behind the wearer, and it nearly took Elara's breath away.

"Is that...?"

"My mother's wedding dress, yes," Leia nods in confirmation, "I was surprised to learn it even survived after she secretly married. You would think she would want to destroy any evidence to hide her marriage. I didn't wear it when I married Han... and your mother wouldn't be caught dead in such a dress," Leia smiles when she was rewarded with one of Elara's rare laughs that sometimes burst out of nowhere, "But maybe _you_ could wear it someday... if you ever decide to get married."

Elara continues to laugh, though it strains at the idea, "I think you would get better use out of it if _Karé_ were to wear this tomorrow."

Leia grins while shaking her head "If you think _Kun_ is the type of girl to wear this old thing, you're insane."

"Oh, and you think _I'm_ that kind of girl?"

"Elara... you wore a Naboo-styled dress not even 24 hours ago."

~~~~~~~~~

And Elara happily wears yet another Naboo-styled dress the very next evening for her friends' special day. Only this time, she wore a bright orange dress compared to the dark green one from the day before. This dress was a little more conservative with a shallow v-neck and sleeves that ran down to just above her wrists. The skirt trailed down to brush over the top of her feet as she wore matching heels. Along the sides of her sleeves, running up and down her shoulders were red and pink embroidered flowers. She wore big, yellow teardrop earrings and kept her hair down and free, running her fingers through her locks before she exited the bathroom attached to hers and Poe's small quarters. 

Speaking of whom, Poe was wearing some clean dark pants and a white shirt under one of his nicer tan, Resistance jackets. Looking up from talking to BB-8, his smile was just as if not brighter than Elara's dress when he took in her attire, "Can I say you look stunning _now_ or no?"

"No, you can't," she shakes her head with a smile, "But Beebee can. At least he and I coordinated to match for this occasion, unlike _someone_."

The orange and white droid chirped in small spurts as a form of laughing while Poe just rolls his eyes and takes her hand, looking over his shoulder at his astromech, "Come on, buddy. We've got a wedding to crash."

" _You're_ not crashing _anything_ , Dameron! I worked too hard on this wedding!"

Thankfully, nothing crashes during the ceremony as Karé and Snap happily marry in front of all their friends and the rest of the Resistance. Leia looks between the two of them as she stands over everyone, officially announcing their marriage with the brightest smile, "And may the Force be with you both, for all your days."

Everyone cheers as Snap take his wife's hand and pull her into a long-awaited kiss. Petals and rice were thrown as they walk back down the makeshift aisle hand-in-hand and everyone migrates the ceremony over to just outside the mess hall where Elara has situated an impromptu dancefloor. Once day slowly turned into night, she had some droids string up some warm and sparkling lights all around the area and opens the bar up within the mess all. Music streams throughout the entire base that night as everyone crowds into the area for some much-needed celebration.

Poe watches from a distance while he nurses his first drink, smiling to himself with BB-8 at his feet, "Nice. Real nice."

"Might I have a moment, Mr. Dameron?" Poe nearly spills his drink as he looks over his shoulder to spot Lor San Tekka approaching, the old man now sporting ceremonial robes. Poe stands up to join him in a small walk away from the wedding reception, while the explorer continues, "I'm sorry to take you away from the party, but I have to leave soon. General Organa has given me an important task, and I do not wish to delay."

Poe nods knowingly, "Luke."

"Just so," Lor responds while beckoning Poe up the stairs leading to the base's satellite dishes to look over the celebration taking place under the stars, "But everything does not hinge on Luke Skywalker, despite his sister's beliefs. Oh, the Jedi is important, certainly, but he is not _everything_. Fate does not resolve entirely around lightsabers and those who wield them."

Poe leans against the railing with him, "Was there anything in particular, or...?"

"Oh, no. Not really. But you've saved my life a number of times, and it seemed strange to just leave without taking the time to chat," the explorer lifts his arms up to the sky, "It all seems _enormous_ , no? Immense, unending. But it's not. The trick is not to think about the void. Think about the _lights_ ," his hand gestures to the party happening below them and smiles warmly, "Do you know what binds all those lights together?"

"Don't have to be a Jedi to know the answer to that. The Force."

"In a way. But I've come to see it differently, over time. Look again."

Poe looks up at the sky instead, observing the beautiful cluster of burning stars splattered across the blanket of black, pink, and purple colors, "Us. The Force is all of us."

Lor smiles impressively before walking away, "Very good, Mr. Dameron. Until we meet again, my friend... may the Force be with you."

After having a few more moments alone to watch the sky, Poe heads back down the stairs to rejoin the reception of the wedding once he realizes Lor has turned in for the night. As he sits down to watch the party some more, he recognizes Elara's figure break from the crowd to walk over to him, grinning. She doesn't even look at him as she prefers to turn and watch all the dancers. Her back turned, she offers her hand to him, wiggling her fingers. Poe smiles warmly and takes her hand. Without even looking at him, she helps him stand up and leads him to the floor.

She finally turns back to him once they're standing in the crowd of slow dancers, Poe automatically drawing closer to her with a small smile, "I'll step on your feet."

She hums, "I don't believe you. Besides, you think _dancing_ is in any step to a Jedi's training?"

He laughs at the image and slides his hands to rest on her hips, her arms coming up to rest around his shoulders, her hands combing through the hair on the back of his neck. As the music slows, they start to sway to it, their foreheads touch while basking in a moment of peace.

Poe replays Lor San Tekka's words in his head, thinking about the Force, how it brings people together, and how its a part of everyone. If asked, Poe wouldn't know how to describe the Force. Maybe when he was a kid, he would have said it's a power that the Jedi use against their enemies. It's a power he's seen his Aunt Nora use several times, either to show him a trick or to spar with Luke Skywalker. But over the years, Poe has heard several stories about the Force, and usually, those stories came from Leia. She said the Force didn't run through just the Jedi and Force-sensitive... but through every living thing, opening Poe's eyes to countless possibilities. But again, if asked, he wouldn't know how to describe it.

That is... until Poe opened his eyes and found Elara standing in front of him, fitting perfectly in his arms, her eyes closed as she swayed to the music. Poe's heart pulled and tugged to her just as his heart would pull and tug to the sky. To describe how he feels for Elara is like flying and falling at the same time, a perfect balance... just like the Force. So, if asked how to describe the Force, he might say something along the lines of how the Force breathes the same air as Elara Skywalker, competing with her as to who or what could make Poe's heart beat faster; which one could make him fly or fall. When Poe thinks of the Force, he thinks of her, flying at impossible odds, waving her hand to have others bend to her will, protecting her friends and family with a fierce sheer of will. The Force is with everyone and everything, and when Poe looks at anything, he's reminded of her. She is the Force in human form, glowing with both Light and Dark as all humans do.

Poe Dameron was one with the Force, and the Force was with him. Just like Elara Skywalker.


	12. Chapter Eleven

A few months go by after Black Squadron finished their covert mission in finding Lor San Tekka, and Poe was starting to get a little more reckless than usual. In hindsight, he knew he shouldn't have done it after finding himself in Leia's office, but he tried to defend himself as he flashed a cocky grin at the General, "The thing is--"

Her glare doesn't waver for a second, and Poe is instantly regretting everything and immediately backtracks while rubbing his neck, "You're right, General Organa. I'm sorry."

"Poe, you're one of the best pilots in the Resistance--"

The pride in his chest shattered a little, "One of...?"

"--But you're also as cocky as you are foolish," a small hint of a smile graces her weary face, "Believe me, I know the type," her stoic facade returns as she projects a map from her datapad while lecturing one of her best pilots, "You were sent on a routine reconnaissance mission-- and in the process, you started a riot, blew up two First Order transports and barely escaped with the needed intel."

"In fairness, I only blew up one transport, the second was, well, burned down by the riot, but I can explain--"

"One of these days your reckless behavior is going to catch up with you and get you killed... or worse," Leia nods towards the door, "I'm grounding you until further notice. Do yourself a favor and busy yourself with filling out your reports and fixing your ship in the meantime."

He lowers his head, knowing that he's been beaten and wouldn't be able to persuade General Organa otherwise. He excuses himself and leaves her office, his feet dragging him to no particular destination. He knew he was being a pouty child about it, but he really, _really_ hated being grounded from the fight. A feeling guides him to the mess hall and when he looks around, he knows why.

His eyes immediately find Elara chatting across the table with Paige Tico, a gunner for the Resistance bomber, Cobalt Hammer. When Paige and her sister joined the Resistance, Elara became instant friends with the talented pilot and it honestly surprised Poe. When he first met her, Elara kept to herself and was dedicated to her job alongside her aunt. She didn't really make any friends until she met Poe and the rest of Black Squadron. But perhaps it was their fault her shell had been cracked and therefore she took to Paige right away when she arrived. 

Poe suddenly felt a lot less irritated about being grounded and struts over to the two women laughing over something Paige said. Elara feels a presence behind her and when she looked up, Poe was looming over her with a wide grin as he stooped down to kiss her forehead.

"There she is," he mumbled into her hairline.

She smiles and closes her eyes for a split second to bask in his attention, before greeting him, "Hey, you."

"Hey," he pulls away with a softer smile and swings his legs over the bench to plot down right next to Elara, his arm automatically draping over her shoulders as he grins across the table to the other female present, "What's going on, Paige?"

"Hey, Poe," Tico grinned, "How've you been?"

"His pride might be a little wounded today," Elara informs her friend while patting Poe's hand with a playful wink, "He got in trouble with the General again. So how does Leia plan on punishing you this time?"

"She's grounded me until further notice," Poe groans, ducking his head and letting his curls fall over his face. Elara snorts while reaching up to ruffle the hair when it caught her attention.

"You deserve it, Flyboy. At least this way you might actually get something done since you won't be up in the air. You know what we should do? We should cut your hair," she jumps away and squeals with laughter when he had blindly reached over and pinched her side, "Just a trim! I swear!"

"She's right," Paige is quick to gang up and tease Poe as well, "How can you possibly see through your helmet with _those_ thick bangs in your eyes?"

"My mother was able to do it!"

"Your mother had more pressing matters to deal with," Elara rebels by also trying to pinch Poe's side before he could flinch away, " _You_ do not. You're grounded."

"Alright, alright!" Poe's forced out of a laugh as Elara finally gets him in the hip, "Babe, stop! You win!"

He weakly swats at the woman laughing at him all the while Paige rolls her eyes at the couple.

~~~~~~~~~

Poe never really did learn how to grow from his mistakes, however, and it wasn't long after Leia cleared him to fly again did he end up back in her office, the General staring him down with the exact same stare for the exact same excuse he had prepped for.

"The thing is..." the moment he speaks, she produces a much harsher glare, with one highly sharp eyebrow raised and Poe flinches away wondering how Elara was also able to master and inherit such a frightening look, "No, you're right. You're always right. I'm sorry."

"Poe, you're the best pilot the Resistance has--"

"Did you say the--?"

"--But you acted on your own instead of following orders-- instead of waiting for help. _Again_ , I know the type. Poe, the Resistance is bigger than one person. It's bigger than you, or me. Acting alone is going to get you hurt, or worse. I hope you realize that... before it's too late."

After ending yet another lecture with the same exact advice, Leia dismisses him but changes Poe's punishment. Instead of being grounded, she's going to have him train a few new recruits for several weeks. Which, in the long haul, keeps him down on the ground more than in the air anyway. He supposes that he shouldn't complain, knowing that at the very least, he could go flying around at night when he's not busy. Once he left Leia's office, he headed down to the training room once he asked the General where he could find her niece. Leia had rolled her eyes but informed him that Elara was down there with BB-8.

Heading into the training room, he looked around and spotted BB-8 first. The droid was beeping excitedly while looking up, and once Poe followed his gaze, he then spotted Elara up on the climbing wall.

To see her in anything besides her uniform or pajamas were rare. Poe has had the pleasure of seeing her in Naboo dresses and yes, also in nothing at all, but he wasn't aware she had leggings and a black tank top in her wardrobe up until now. 

Elara was a quick and excellent climber. Poe was aware that Jedi were unnaturally fast and extremely agile, so to watch her reach the very top of the climbing wall, ring the bell, and jump all the way back down to the floor without breaking anything didn't surprise her boyfriend one bit. She still hasn't noticed him in the doorway as she addresses BB-8 when he rolled over to her with her water canteen, "How was that, Beebee?"

The droid chirps out her time on the wall and she hums while taking a gulp full of water. Swallowing, she shrugs, "Not my best time."

"Maybe you're getting old," both woman and droid whip around as Poe comes walking towards them, his hands in his pockets, and a playful grin on his face, "Hey, I know you."

"I wish I didn't know you," she quips back while pointing to the climbing wall, wearing that dangerous glare she inherited from her aunt, "Do _you_ wanna be timed and see who here is _old_?"

"I'm thirty-two, babe," Poe rolls his eyes, "I'm not a grandpa."

"Didn't know I was dating an old man."

"Hey!" Poe reaches for her and she quickly dodges him, "I can't wait until _you_ turn thirty. Snap and I will do fireworks."

"You will do _no_ such thing if you want to continue sleeping in the comfort of your own bed," she threatens and keeps stepping away from his arms, "And quit it. I'm all sweaty."

He grins, "So what? I'm dirty, too. What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" Elara quirks an eyebrow, "I'm not afraid of anything. Jedi don't know fear."

"Oh, please," Poe might lose an eye from rolling them so much and huffs in irritation when she keeps evading him so he tries stepping into her space, "Would you just come here? It's been a long day."

"Oh, boo-hoo, Mister Flyboy," she ducks under his arms just in time and skillfully avoids touching him as she now stood behind him, "So what did Leia do this time? She ground you?"

"Not really. She just put me in charge of some training sessions," he shrugs when turning around to face her, his eyes drooping as he sticks out his bottom lip, "Can I at least have a kiss?"

She grins wickedly and screws up her nose at the notion, "I think not," but Elara knew he wasn't gonna take that for an answer so when he lunged at her, she was ready for it and pushed her arm out to hit him square in the chest. Poe grunts as he leans back from the force of it, stepping back to catch himself until BB-8 rolls into the back of his legs and trips him. Elara laughs uncontrollably when Poe landed flat on his back and started cursing, rubbing his chest while also glaring over at his droid.

"Traitor."

BB-8 flings out his lighter and Poe doesn't have time to snap back at the astromech as Elara kneels down and straddles his hips, keeping him pinned to the floor. She grins down at Poe and then reaches over to pat BB-8's head, "Good job, baby," she coos.

BB-8 basks in the attention while Poe playfully glares up at his girlfriend, "Oh, so we're calling the _droid_ that now?"

"Well, obviously. He's like, what, five, _six_ years old?" She shrugs, unbothered, "Beebee's the baby."

"I get full custody if we break up."

Her laugh chimes in with BB-8's because they both think it's funny that Poe believes that _he's_ the droid's favorite, "Uh-huh sure, Poe."

~~~~~~~~~

The moment Elara heard that Poe had disobeyed orders and went to track down an unknown distress signal, she knew something was wrong. She argued about it with Leia for a few minutes before the General gave her and the rest of Black Squadron clearance to go after him when Poe didn't ever check back in. While the team was in lightspeed, Leia had called to let them know that BB-8 had returned to base in an escape pod, but no Poe, worrying the rest of Black Squadron as they jump out of hyperspace.

What they find is an old minefield left behind by the Empire. Leia usually has these fields charted but this one appeared to be stationed in an unknown region. It's no wonder Poe wasn't expecting it. Flying around the minefield, Black Squadron spots a damaged First Order transport ship and suddenly Elara had a feeling, deep in her gut, that Poe was in there.

"Cover me," she orders Black Squadron as she goes flying into the hangar, the others watching her back when they notice that some stormtroopers inside the ship were taking fire.

"Black Squadron reporting for duty!" Snap announces into the universal commlink, contacting their leader's earpiece.

Poe looks up from the crates he was hiding behind and grinned wildly to see his team here to rescue him. The stormtroopers go running as some of the X-Wings rain fire down on them. An old UT-60D U-Wing Starfighter from back in the Rebel Alliance days lands onto the hangar deck with the rest of Black Squadron ships continuing to provide cover, shooting at any rogue stormtroopers as they continue to run off. The U-Wing was definitely ancient tech compared to what Poe's used to, but he figured it was big enough to fit two people, and that's what matters as the pilot steps out to reveal Elara, grinning from ear to ear, "Need a ride?"

"Are you an angel?" He calls out to her with an added laugh by the eye roll she was able to produce under her helmet. She jumps off the ship, landing swiftly on the ground while throwing her helmet skidding across the floor to race after him, and he happily waits to catch her in his arms. The force when she jumps up to embrace him nearly sends him falling to the ground and he grunts before finally catching his balance by swinging her around, making her laugh.

"Don't ever scare me like that again."

"How did you guys know where to find me?"

"How do you think, genius?"

~~~~~~~~~

Back on base, safe and sound, Poe sat across from Leia in her office, again... but it was in higher spirits as they smile gratefully at one another, "General... thank you."

"Thank _you_ \-- for stopping the First Order and finding an old Imperial minefield. All while once again failing to follow orders. But according to Beebee-Ate, you put him and the intel ahead of your own life," she smiles proudly, "Perhaps you are learning after all."

"The intel Beebee-Ate uncovered--" Poe's face shifts into something unpleasant, "It's a record of who ordered the First Order to smuggle these explosives. General Organa... Terex is _alive_."

~~~~~~~~~

Leia informed Poe not to worry about Terex and to let her take care of the matter. For now, he was ordered to go to bed and be thankful that he was still alive. Poe dragged his feet to his quarters and when sliding the door open, he found Elara reading in bed with BB-8 welding some old parts of a ship together on the floor. Both of them looked up when Poe entered and the droid was beeping ecstatically while rolling around Poe's feet in circles.

"I'm okay, buddy. I'm okay," Poe kneels down to hold his droid, rubbing against the metal in the form of a belly rub.

"He told me that you sacrificed yourself for him."

Poe looked up and noticed that Elara did not look away from her book as she said this, her nose buried within the pages but her eyes never dart across the writing, which told Poe that she was only pretending to read so he tries explaining himself, "He needed to get the information to Leia. I had to provide him cover."

"I know... I know you did."

He stood up and walked over to the bed. He tapped her on the side and she scoots over without question. Once Poe was lying down next to her, he ducked under her arms to lean his head against her collarbone and read the book as well, "You also know that we agreed not to promise each other we'll come back alive after each mission. We agreed that we were going to be strictly professional on the battlefield and never worry about one another's safety."

"I know..." she gives in and sets down her book, her arms coming up to wrap around Poe's shoulders and play with his hair that kept tickling her nose, "We agreed, but that doesn't mean we have to like it."

He laughs quietly, his warm breath tickling her skin, "No... I guess we don't."

"So we got that minefield recorded in the system," she informed, "No one won't accidentally stumble across it anytime soon. All the intel and explosives you and Beebee managed to steal from the First Order are now in safer hands, and--"

Poe sighs deeply, closing his eyes and getting comfortable snuggled up to her chest, "Can we not talk about the war right now."

She snorts light-heartedly and twirls one of his curls in her finger, "Alright... let's talk about anything you want. Your choice."

He hums as he thought about it. Reading a book sounded tempting, but he also wanted to keep listening to the sound of Elara's voice until he falls to sleep. She could read to him, but the book she had just tossed across the bed didn't look all that pleasing to read. It looked like some form of guide to smuggling, something or other. He had no doubt in his mind that Elara was a story-teller, perhaps she could make one up or just relay history to him. There was one part of history that Poe was always curious about, but his parents didn't know enough about that certain topic and whenever his Aunt Nora came to visit, his mother had forbidden him to ask her about it.

"Darth Vader."

" _Really_ ," Elara flashed an unimpressed, deadpanned look even if he couldn't see it, "I thought you said you _didn't_ want to talk about wars."

"Well, not Darth Vader specifically," Poe admits, "But Anakin Skywalker. Your grandfather. What do you think he was like?"

"How should I know? I never met him," his arm slid underneath her and between the mattress, wrapping around her stomach and squeezing in comfort when her voice lowered to something sad, "And technically, neither did Luke and Leia. They never knew the real Anakin Skywalker either."

"Come on," he tilts his head up to her, resting his chin on her collar, "Give me your best guess. If you were to have had the opportunity of meeting him, how do you think he would act or talk?"

She tightens her lips, watching his face for a while before shrugging him off so she could situate herself better. She pulls him back into her arms once she was comfortable and started lightly scratching his scalp while staring up at the ceiling, "Truthfully, I've never thought about that before. There was one time where, in my training, my mother would scold me because I had a knack for throwing my lightsaber at my opponents. She thought it was impractical and I could easily lose my weapon in battle. My father actually _condoned_ it, believe it or not. He said both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were known for using the same tactic. After that, I started using the method and making it my own. It was the only way I felt closer to a grandfather I've never met before."

Poe smiled at the thought, imagining a teenaged version of Elara, wearing Jedi robes with her hair pulled back in a bun, running around with a lightsaber in hand. Perhaps her kyber crystal is blue, or green. He could imagine the color purple matching her hair and eyes, igniting her light skin as she held it to her face. He tried to imagine how sly she might have looked when she threw her mysterious-colored lightsaber in the air and beckoned it back to her hand, just to spite her mother.

Elara couldn't hear his thoughts, thankfully, as she absentmindedly continued to think about her grandfather, "I'd imagine he'd be stoic or cruel when I was a kid, but now, not so much. I was probably thinking what _Vader_ was like and not Anakin Skywalker. I'd imagine Anakin to be a lot similar to my father. Loyal, cunning, fearless, maybe even a little cockier than my dad, and a real heartfelt man. I've heard stories about how much he loved my grandmother, just as I have heard stories about what they were both like from people who knew them."

"Tell me," he squeezed her again for reassurance, "I'd love a good story."

She hums and he could feel it ricochet in her chest, smiling softly as she explained some of her family histories, "Padmé Amidala was supposedly beautiful and incredibly kind. Her focus was always set on those who needed her the most. She was known for her beauty, both inside and out, with the most exquisite taste in dresses. She became Queen of Naboo when she was only fourteen years old, then she met a poor little slave boy on the outskirts of Tatooine name Anakin Skywalker, who she would later lovingly call him Ani. He was only nine years old and he loved her the moment he laid his eyes on her, one of the first things he ever said to her was to ask her if she was an angel."

"How do you know all that?" To Poe, this story sounded extremely detailed for someone who was never there.

"From visions and stories," Elara shrugs, jostling him a little from his spot in her neck, "I just fit the puzzle pieces together to create the whole picture for myself. Sometimes it pays to be trained in the ways of the Jedi."

He grins against her neck and she grins in response, continuing where she left off, "Ten years later, Padmé and Anakin's paths would cross again as a Senator and a Jedi Knight. He was ordered to protect her after her life had been threatened and they fell in love, marrying in secret and living a lie for the next three years before the end of the Clone Wars," she retracts her hand from his hair and watched as she travels it down, trailing her fingers down the side of his neck and rubbing his shoulder before she slowly resumes, "...I never understood that part. I just don't understand how a young boy could be in love with a girl for a whole decade without ever seeing her. Ten years is a long time to be in love... especially if you haven't seen that person since before."

Poe tries to shrug but one his shoulders is nearly pressed underneath her body and the other was carefully being massaged by her hand, "Doesn't sound that crazy to me."

She squeezes his shoulder, laughing slightly, "Says the man who fell for me."

"If I recall, it took a lot _less_ convincing for you to love me back. Whereas it took your grandmother ten years before she gave her heart to Anakin. You Skywalker women are growing soft over the generations."

Poe wasn't surprised at all when she pinched his shoulder and he laughs, "I dare you to tell _General_ Leia that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have just one more chapter before this fanfic catches up to the events of The Force Awakens, and then we're on our way to the main adventure!


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next mission at hand appeared to be pretty simple. But knowing Black Squadron, it was going to be far from that.
> 
> Unless...?

C-3PO acquired some information by his network of droid operatives that a deal between the First Order and a Kudon trader was about to take place. The trader, Mek Nu'tiv had acquired, through nefarious means, a certain data archive. The Archive supposedly dates back to before the rise of the Empire and the precious metals it is composed of could buy a small planetoid. It is rumored that the Archive contains several ancient blueprints potentially meant for a superweapon. Whether or not this is true, General Organa refuses for it to fall into the wrong hands and asked Poe Dameron along with the rest of Black Squadron to intercept the trade-off. She then plans them to go in disguised as smugglers so that Mek Nu'tiv wouldn't suspect the Resistance to be involved with the swipe. 

When Poe and Elara show their team members what they would be flying instead of their precious X-Wings, they weren't all that impressed with the Rebellion-old starfighters that could easily be the same age as their parents, and Jess voices her opinion as such, "We're supposed to pull this job in _these_ clunkers?"

Snap tightens his grip on his helmet at the sight of the ships, "These belong in a museum. _Or_ a scrap heap."

"I know, I know," Poe reassures, "Trust me, I don't like them any more than you do. But that's the whole _point_. No one can know Black Squadron was ever there. Besides, if things go according to plan, we'll be in and out before they have a chance to hit back."

Karé folds her arms, unimpressed, "When has everything _actually_ gone according to plan?"

Jess pitches in, "And with our _regular_ fighters..."

"And here I thought it was the _pilots_ that made Black Squadron," Poe grins smugly while crossing his arms, "Not the ships."

Everyone pauses, looking between each other, astounded and speechless. Deflating from their complaints, they're reminded of their lost friend, L'ulo L'ampar. He always said that it's never about the ship, as he himself always flew the same ship he had back on Endor during the war. The old Duro was clearly a gifted pilot and it didn't matter how old or different the model of the ship was, he had always come out on top. Snap, Karé, and Jess look expectedly over at Poe as they thought of L'ulo, and their leader's smile turns genuine as he takes control of their thoughts as always, "Our window is tight. Let's move, people."

Snap is quick to point out something obvious, "I only see four ships. Don't we need six?"

Elara speaks up for the first time since this morning while informing her team what's going to happen, "Suralinda is temporarily grounded so she can finish that _great_ story she is so desperate on writing."

Jess snorts in amusement but Snap looked even more confused, "Okay... so what about you? You're coming with, aren't you, Lara?"

"Of course I am, Snap. Leia insisted that I tag along should things get dicey and we run into the First Order. But the General could only provide these four ships, so I'll be flying with Poe and Beebee-Ate," at that announcement, the droid pressed up against her leg beeps excitedly.

Jess grins knowingly, "That'll be a tight fit."

"Sure will," Elara agrees while crossing her arms and eyeing Poe with a warning look, "Which is why Commander Dameron is going to _behave_ himself."

"No promises," she swats his arm and he chuckles, "Okay, okay, sweetheart. I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"You know, we can always have you sit on _my_ lap?"

" _Please_ don't," Karé groaned, "I will not stand for another round of Poe complaining about his pride while we're in lightspeed."

The crew laughs as they all climb into one of the old ships. Poe and Elara were able to squeeze themselves and BB-8 into a Z95 Headhunter, Karé got a V19 Torrent, Jess an ARC 170, and Snap an ETA-2 ACTIS Interceptor, but he's not all too happy about it as they all fly away from D'Qar and jump into lightspeed, "If this system patch fails mid-flight, please yell at the engineers on my behalf. I can barely handle this thing. I'm no Jedi."

"At least you don't have to worry about losing another astromech..." Jess comments, "Or a co-pilot. Or a gunner..."

"You doing okay, Beebee-Ate?" Poe calls back to his droid who beeps a complaint about the tight fit, "I know. But don't worry. We'll be there soon."

"Speak for yourself," Elara groans in pain as her neck and shoulders are practically pressed up against the glass, half of her legs sprawled out over Poe's lap, "At least you were able to put on a _helmet_."

"Hey," Poe flashes her a grin, "You can trust the best pilot in the galaxy not to let you fall and break your head."

"You're right," Lara grins back, "I trust myself not to break my own head."

"No, I was talking about-- hey wait a damn minute!"

"Guys," Snap groaned, "We're not going to listen to the conversation about who's the better pilot _again_. It's getting old."

"Like yourself, babe?"

"Karé!"

"Either we beat the First Order here, or they're already on board," Karé decides to ignore her husband's disdain as they all jump out of lightspeed and have eyes on the ship ahead of them, "More likely the former. It would be very unusual for them to go into a negotiation without a fleet at their back."

"Keep your eyes peeled for company, everyone," Poe instructs, "Beebee-Ate, ready to show off our little upgrade? Let's turn off the lights. Hit it!"

BB-8 does his magic and Poe's starfighters fires ion cannon fire at Mek Nu'tiv's ship, the huge vessel suddenly loses all power to their lights, going dark in just mere seconds. Once Poe noticed that it was completely dark inside, he lowers his ship towards the hangar, "Critical systems disabled. Black Leader heading in. Stay sharp, folks."

"Black Four, we--" Snap has to quickly maneuver out of the way as some cannon fire from behind him nearly caught his wing, "What was that?"

"We've got incoming!" Poe shouts and Elara tries to desperately hang onto something.

"Mek's fighters!" Jess shouts as she noticed some unknown starfighters coming out of nowhere from behind a moon that Mek's cargo ship was floating in front of.

Snap growls at the sight of them, "She must have had her people lying in wait behind the moon."

"Go ahead, Black Leader. We've got your back," Karé assures as she and the others spun back around and started firing back at the enemy.

"We're gonna have to be quick here, buddy," Poe tells BB-8 while flying into the hangar. Once they've landed, Elara climbs out first while Poe grabs his droid. 

Once they've planted their feet on the floor, Elara grabs one of Poe's blaster from its holster while looking around and eyeing the First Order ship also docked in the hangar, "Looks like we didn't beat the First Order here after all."

Poe nods in agreement while following BB-8 and points over to a bunch of wounded men paying zero attention to them, "I guess they weren't as outgunned as we thought."

" _Drop_ _it_ , human," Poe freezes when a barrel is pressed to the back of his head. Elara spins back around to point her blaster at the figure holding a gun to Poe's head, but couldn't get a good aim on the female Kudon. It was none other than Mek Nu'tiv herself, who was holding her furry injured shoulder and pointing a blaster at Poe, "Are you with _them_?"

"I don't know who _'them'_ is," Poe raises his arms in surrender, "Never been much of a follower."

"Whoever is _playing_ at being the First Order," Mek watches as both of the humans in front of her widen their eyes at the news and stare at one another in shock, "Well, if I can't make _them_ pay for this mess--"

She suddenly screams in agony as her whole back is electrocuted. When Mek falls to the ground, unconscious, it is revealed to be none other than BB-8 behind her holding out his tiny electric prong. Both Poe and Elara smile proudly at the droid as they kneel down to touch him in gratitude, Dameron giving him the much-needed praise, "You're a lifesaver, Beebee-Ate. _Again_. Let's hurry. I think this just became a race."

"So if it's not the First Order... then who is pretending to be them?" Elara asks out loud as the three of them run down the hallway, blasters at the ready.

"I don't know, but we don't have much time to find out, angel," he grabs her free hand in his and they race down the hall as fast as possible, "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, coming in the direction Poe and Elara were running towards, the Great Chewbacca and General Han Solo himself were running down the hallway, the latter dressed in an old Imperial costume as they try to avoid the firefight. Han finds himself muttering under his breath, "I'll say this for Mek Nu'tiv, at least she's organized."

Chewie roars in agreement, clutching his trusty Bowcaster to his chest as they round the corner and enter the cargo hold of Mek's ship. Han points out a detailed box made out of valuable materials, "There. This matches our intel. That's a fancy box for weapons plans."

Han grabs a crowbar and tries to pry the box open while Chewbacca covers his six. Solo grunts at the stress of the box while trying to encourage it, "Come on, come on..." the box finally gives it and opens. When the two friends peer inside, their eyes widen at the realization of what the rumored cargo inside really is, "Wait, this is--"

The Wookie confirms Han's suspicion with a roar and Han whispers, " _Leia_... I think we just figured out who else is here. The _Resistance_."

"Come on, Beebee-Ate!" Han and Chewie spin around at the sound of a man's voice coming from down the corridor. 

"Our intel says it's down this way!"

Chewie tilts his head and purrs in familiarity to a female voice following closely behind and when he turns to Han, the old man's smile is just so slightly faint, "Elara..." Han looks up at Chewbacca, "Let's clear them a path. _Quietly_ , for once."

"Stay behind me, buddy. We don't know what we're up against here!" Poe stares down at BB-8, still gripping Elara's hand as they round the corner, blasters are drawn while expecting a fight, but the cargo hold they've just entered is mysteriously empty, "Huh? Where is everybody?"

Elara lets go of Poe's hand to clutch both of her own over her blaster, looking around mysteriously. She felt a presence in the Force as she cautiously looked around the room. It was a presence she hasn't felt in years, but it was ever so faint and familiar. 

"The Archive!" She turns around to watch as Poe and BB-8 run to the mysterious box sitting alone in the room. BB-8 questions the situation in small beeps and Poe shrugs, "You got me. Our First Order friends, or whoever they are, must have gotten held up. But let's not wait around to find out."

Poe grips tightly to the box and lifts it up in his arms with a huff. He turns around and tilts his head in the direction of the door, "Lara, we should go."

She nods, but she's slow to follow him as she's still trying to make sense of the presence. She hasn't yet to identify it, but she recognized it all the same. Meanwhile, down the hall, Han and Chewie are clearing a path for the Resistance fighters, shooting down and taking out any of Mek's men trying to stop them. Chewbacca asks Han if this was such a good idea, and the old man responds in confidence, "It's the right play. Elara will make sure it gets back to her. The Resistance must have caught wind of the trade. Thought the First Order was _actually_ involved."

The two of them run back to the hangar as fast as possible, reaching the First Order ship they had stolen and strapped in at the controls. Han shrugs off the dumb Imperial jacket while grabbing the control stick, "At least we fooled _somebody_. You better start broadcasting as friendly. Would hate to get shot out of the sky on top of everything else."

Chewie roars and punches it, flying out of the cargo ship as quickly as the ship would let him. In the distance, Karé could see a rogue First Order ship taking off away from the battle and radios to her leader, "Black Four to Black Leader. I have eyes on the First Order ship. But they seem to be broadcasting as friendly on Resistance channels. Should we engage?

Elara's heart drops and something clicks in her head. The presence of two signatures and this whole operation suddenly makes sense as she practically yells into her commlink, "Negative, that's a negative, Black Four! This is Black Six, I know who's on that First Order ship. Do _not_ engage!

Karé hesitates before asking her squad leader, "Poe?"

Poe pauses to stare at Elara as the two of them load the Archive into their ship. She begs him with only a pleading stare before he radios back to Karé with a sigh, "Do not engage, Black Five. Not sure who they really are, but they didn't take the prize. How are things looking out there?"

"Our clunkers held up. Mek's ships had the paint jobs..." Karé smiles to herself, "But not the pilots."

~~~~~~~~~

When they got back to base, both Poe and Elara went straight to Leia's office to present the Archive to her and report back a successful mission. Once he's placed the box down at her desk, Poe addresses General Organa as she sits across from him, "I'm honestly not sure how we got away with it, General."

"It could be that whoever you encountered was there for something else."

"Maybe. But the fact they knew we were Resistance... if they'd really wanted this, they had plenty of time to get it. And firepower, too. Some of the damage I saw was done by some kind of projectile weapon. Maybe a Magrifle."

"I guess we'll never know," Leia smiles with a twinkle in her eye as she stands from her desk and reaches for the box, "Now, let's see if this was all worth the trouble."

As she gently pries the box open, the three of them peer inside and Poe stares down at the object questionably, "Is that--"

"I'd been afraid to hope the rumors were true..." Leia's eyes were wide with mild terror as she stares down at an old datapad and chip sitting inside the box, "The Archive of the Great Library of Alderaan. Or what's left of it. The greatest collection of literature and knowledge my homeworld ever produced. On the rare occasions my father, Bail Organa, had free time on-planet, that was where we went. The collection's data archive was smuggled off-planet by librarians who feared of Imperial takeover. They had no idea of the fate that awaited Alderaan, of course. How could they? They only knew that war was coming."

Elara felt heavy around her shoulders when the next words spill out of her, "Just not for them."

Leia only nods in agreement while Poe stares at the General suspiciously, "You knew that this was what we were after the whole time?"

Leia closed the lid on the box again, "I didn't know for sure, but I suspected."

"But... how can you even think of selling something like this? Your home--"

"Is long gone," she sighs, heavily, "The data, if any survived, can always be copied now that it's secure. The physical archive itself is what collectors will pay a high price for. And I can think of no better way to honor the memory of my home than to fight the same kind of evil that destroyed it."

When she looked up, she noticed Elara smiling at her with pride and understanding, driving the General to feel lighter and proud. C-3PO arrives and notices the Archive sitting on Leia's desk, addressing Poe, "I take it that things went according to plan, sir?

"About as well as they usually do. But as plans go, it wasn't half bad," Poe walks over and pats the droid's golden shoulder, "You could have a real future in plotting and scheming, Threepio."

"I'm not entirely sure if I should take that as a compliment."

Leia huffs, "In this case? You absolutely should. Now, I need to borrow Elara for some much-needed paperwork, if you don't mind, Poe?

"Better her than me," Poe flashes a wryly grin in Elara's direction when she playfully groaned in anticipation for the new task she had been given. She shoves him and he laughs, "I'm complimenting you, babe, relax."

" _You_ , take the compliment _and_ the paperwork," Leia points to Elara first and then to Poe, "And _you_ restrain yourself from calling her anything other than Commander Skywalker in my presence."

Elara snorts while watching Poe straighten his posture. He turns to walk out with Threepio and winks over in her direction before leaving. Once the two women were alone, Leia moves to walk back around and sit at her desk when the voice behind her made her freeze.

"It was Han, Leia."

The General spun around with wide eyes, "What?"

Elara's face hurt from how wide she was smiling, uncontrollably feeling giddy while explaining her beliefs, "The supposed First Order we were meant to beat in the race to get the Archives. They were broadcasting Resistance-friendly codes only _after_ they realized that the data was Alderaanian, meaning they knew _you_ were behind this mission. They used heavy artillery and what Poe assumed to be Magrifles could've easily been a Bowcaster, something I know Chewbacca is absolutely _crazy_ for. And to top it all off they used the First Order as a disguise to fool Mek Nu'tiv. Now I don't know about you, but I only know _one_ smuggler crazy enough to pull off a stunt like that. Plus... I'm pretty sure I felt him... through the Force, him and Chewie. And I think he felt it, too. That's why he cleared a path for me and Poe to grab the data."

Whatever conflict Leia was feeling deep in her chest at the news, it subsided when Elara lifted off all the reason she believed for this to be true. The General forces herself to smile and nods, "I believe you."

Elara's smile lessened but it didn't dare leave her face as her eyes shine, "I just wish he had stayed long enough to say something."

"You know your uncle," Leia assures, "He can be very discreet when he wants to be. It wasn't because he didn't want to see you. Han adores you..."

Elara quirks an eyebrow, "But?"

The General sighs, crossing her arms and leaning against the edge of her desk, staring down at the floor, her eyes suddenly heavy with remembrance and past ghosts, "But you wear your mother's face, and I believe that's still a deep pain in his chest that Han has yet to get used to. I'm afraid your uncle wouldn't be able to look you in the eyes without being reminded of how he failed you--"

"He didn't--"

"--and your mother," Leia looks up and narrows her eyes expectedly at the younger woman, and Elara immediately closes her mouth to let her aunt continue explaining, "He blames himself, Lara... for what happened. Luke and I are siblings, yes... but we'll never comprehend the relationship between Han and Nora. It was a bond... not even a Jedi could understand."

General Organa sighs and pushes herself up from the desk, "I don't want to burden you with anything more than paperwork right now, my dear. Tonight, I want you to enjoy yourself without anything troubling you. Promise you won't think about this too much?"

Elara sighs, defeated, "I promise," she walks over to join her aunt at the desk, hesitating before opening her mouth, "You have to promise me the same thing."

Leia laughs lightly, a shine in her eyes as she stares up at the spitting image of her old friend, "I promise."

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Poe finds himself alone with Leia in her office when she discreetly asked him to go to Jakku for her, "Jakku? Why do you want me to go to Jakku?"

"Well, first and foremost, because I said so," Leia grinned, arms crossed, "But more importantly because Lor San Tekka got back in touch. Poe... he has the map."

Poe is astonished to see that look of hope burning bright on General Organa's withering face now more than ever before, "The map that leads to Luke Skywalker? That's... surprising. There's nothing there but old rusted-out ships."

"I think it's _perfect_. The Empire ended on Jakku. Now, the end of the First Order will come from the same place."

Poe shares her enthusiasm and points to the door of her office, "I'll rustle up Black Squadron and we'll head out right away. Just give me the coordinates."

"No, Poe-- I'd like you to go by yourself," she tries talking him down from his high pedestal, "This is the most sensitive mission I've ever given you."

"You don't trust my team?" The young man frowns in disbelief, "After everything they've done for the Resistance?"

"Of course I do--" Leia is sharp and precise with her words, glaring and practically begging Poe to argue with her so she may make him look like a fool, "But I also don't want to draw any attention to this situation. _None_. One X-Wing showing up on Jakku could mean anything. No one will look too hard. _Five_... word would get around. The First Order wants this map as badly as we do. We can't let them know we've found it. This might be our only chance to get ahead of them. To get an advantage."

He nods in understanding, thankfully, and straightens up, "You got it, General. I'll be in and out before anyone knows I'm there. This'll be easy. So when do I leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I want both my pilot and his droid fully charged by then," she draws the picture of a motherly figure with the way she lectured him, and Poe couldn't help but grin at the sight of her glaring up at him, "Am I clear?"

"Yes, General."

~~~~~~~~~

So that's where he found himself, the night before he was supposed to leave for Jakku. BB-8 was charging in the corner of the bedroom while Poe laid resting on the bed. He was lying on his side, his eyes closed while he pretended to be asleep, but really he was listening to Elara's breaths and feeling the traces her fingers made in the palm of his hand. She was lying wide awake next to him, holding his hands in between their bodies near their faces. As she lightly traced the lines in his palms, she smiled to herself when thinking about how his hands were hers to hold. When she looked up to watch the curls that still clung to his face weirdly from helmet hair, she thought about how his hair was hers to brush. When her eyes traveled down to watch his closed eyes and then his mouth that quirked up in a small, content smile, she thought about how his lips were hers to kiss. 

Something in the air tonight is different that drives her to think this way. They both know that there's something different about tonight. Like something was about to change. It wasn't a good or a bad feeling, but whatever it was, they both knew they could handle it. Elara rubs her thumb over the inside of his wrist and presses just slightly hard enough to drive him to open his eyes and give up on pretending to sleep.

"You and Beebee gonna be okay?" She asks instead of outing him, knowing that when Poe _really_ sleeps, he always unconsciously frowns and snores.

"Of course!" He yawns, "Why wouldn't we be?"

She shrugs the shoulder that wasn't currently pressed into the mattress, "Jakku is a desert planet. My family has sand in their blood, despite how much we hate it. I wouldn't mind going if you're worried about getting sand in your droid's processors."

"Hey, Beebee-Ate can handle _anything_."

The snort she lets out was one of amusement, "You once told me about how that little droid is going to send you to an early grave."

Poe laughs at the memory of telling her that. It was after Jhosh and he and BB-8 had come back with more than just First Order intel, but almost a dozen more droids than they intended. BB-8 had stubbornly gone against orders and freed them all when he realized the droids were being mistreated by stormtroopers. Poe had been outside keeping an eye on the base the entire time, and he has sworn ever since that he had grown three grey hairs that day no thanks to his astromech. Poe's laugh dies down while watching Elara's fingers continue to trace and make shapes into his bigger hands, his throat running dry while trying to focus on her eyes. He closes his mouth to swallow down whatever anxiety was coming through, licking his lips, "What if... what if this mission fails, or if the map is useless? Or what if the map is useful but... What if your father really is dead?"

Again, she shrugs, trying not to think too much about it, "Then I guess that will officially make me the last Skywalker. Thank the Maker for that."

He quirks an eyebrow, "What if you changed your name?"

"Then there wouldn't be any more Skywalkers," she hums while finally looking away from Poe's hands and staring over at him, "I would have probably done it already if I knew it would get a rise out of my father. But he's not like that."

"You could still do it."

She scoffs, "What would I change it to?"

The silence that suddenly lingers in the room is deafening as all Poe could do was stare, refusing to appear off-guard as her eyes slowly widen at the intention of his gaze. Her face is set ablaze as she tries to find her words again, "...Really? Now? We're in the middle of a war."

"I'm surprised that the first thing that came out of your mouth wasn't anything like _'we barely know each other. This is still too new'_."

"Not really," she defends, "It's nearly a year. I'm fairly certain my parents dated for less than that before getting married."

"And you're not entirely saying _no_."

Elara rolls her eyes without entirely meaning to, but Poe doesn't take it to heart. One of his hands breaks from hers to reach over and tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She doesn't meet his gaze as she absentmindedly picks at the pillow under her head with her free hand. The room is quiet for several more minutes before she whispers, "Wars are unpredictable, you know. They can sometimes last weeks, months, years--"

"I'd wait out this war for millennia if it meant I could marry you at the end of it," he proclaims without hesitation because it was true and he didn't have to think twice about it. He smiles at the way she half-mindedly scoffs at his intentions and scooted himself closer to press their bodies together and lock their eyes with no escape. He stares her down and raises his eyebrows, "Would you marry me?"

Her lips roll together and it took every fiber in Poe's body to not watch the motion and instead keep his eyes on her. Elara thinks about how the Force always draws her back to him compared to other people she's been with in the past, and she thinks about everything they've been through. All the lies and deceit, all the victories and the friends they've gained and lost. She studies every inch of his face now that he's lying so much closer to her than before. Every flaw and correction that she just wants to reach out and touch. There are small nicks and scars on his cheeks and forehead from past wounds that normally no one could see unless they were Elara pressed so close to him at night. He had shaved earlier that evening in preparation for his mission ahead. Neither of them knows how long he'll be gone and he didn't know the next time he might have time to find a razor, so it was better to be prepared than be sorry later on.

Her fingers betray her as they trace over the ring she's seen around his neck a million times before. He's told her once that it was his mother's ring, and she never pressed to ask anything further than that, "Poe Dameron, I would marry you in a heartbeat if I could."

She doesn't see his smile but feels it when he's pressed their lips together, "Then you should."

She hums into his kiss, her heart beating so fast she felt so giddy. She lets the kiss linger a little before gently pushing him away to lay back down again, "Alright, let's make a deal. Promise you will ask me to marry you after the war is over."

His grin is so bright it's blinding, his breath fanning her face when he tries to calm down his heartbeat, "Under one condition."

"What?"

He can't help leaning down to kiss her cute little nose, "Promise me you'll say yes."

She giggles, scrunching her nose up in retaliation, "I promise."

"Then I promise," he settles back into the bed and clasps their hands between their bodies again, "You gonna miss me?"

"Nah, not really," she teases once they go back on track to his mission for tomorrow, "I'll just be wearing your shirts to bed every night."

He swallows thickly, blinking several times while trying to process the image into his brain forever, "...Yeah? _Just_ the shirts?"

She winks, " _Only_ the shirts."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there you have it! The next chapter will be during the events of the Force Awakens so thank you SO MUCH for hanging on for this long! I really do appreciate it! <3


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously On 'Light 'Em Up!'...
> 
> "You got it, General. I'll be in and out before anyone knows I'm there. This'll be easy." ~Poe Dameron
> 
> Spoiler alert: It WASN'T easy

When Poe told General Organa that this would be easy... he should've been clear and said that it would be easy for the First Order. Not even a minute after Lor San Tekka handed him a small leather pouch containing a map to Luke Skywalker, BB-8 had burst into the hut located on Jakku, spilling beeps and whines frantically to inform his pilot that they were not alone.

Poe had rushed outside, sporting a pair of Quadnoculars as he raised them to his eyes and spanned over the horizon, barely seeing anything in the dark until lights began floating over the hillside and towards the village. As they got closer, Poe recognized the enemy ships as he lowers the Quadnoculars, feeling Lor San Tekka standing behind him, "You have to hide."

If Lor noticed how unnerved Poe's eyes appeared, growing with fright, he didn't say anything about it, "You have to leave," Poe spun back around to him, conflicted as Lor only nodded to him in encouragement, all the while staring at the approaching ships, "Go!"

Poe sets his jaw and finally nods, beckoning for BB-8 to follow and the two of them quickly run off in the direction of their ship. They hurry through the village as various armed villagers run past them to get into their positions, ready to defend their homes. The First Order transports land just outside the village in a cloud of roaring wind and dust. The second their ramps lower, all Hell breaks loose as blasters are seen firing from both sides of the fight between villagers and stormtroopers.

Poe doesn't dare turn back at the sounds of people screaming in anguish, afraid that he would want to stay and help without the promise of bringing back the map to Luke for Leia and Elara. He finally makes it to his X-Wing stationed just outside of the village, hidden from sight behind a rock outcropping.

"Come on, Beebee-Ate! Hurry!"

BB-8 beeps back shakily while rolling into the droid socket below the ship as Poe climbs into the cockpit. The controls come to life as BB-8 starts screaming with a warning when he saw stormtroopers running towards them in the distance. Poe tries not to pay too much attention to it as he throws on his helmet while the canopy above him closes once the engines start to fire up. He spares a glance over his shoulder and sees the stormtroopers quickly approaching. He urgently works the controls and the landing lights blink on as BB-8 continues to beep frantically. The ship unexpectedly jolts and gives Poe some terrible whiplash causing him to grunt. With flashing lights all around him, he looks out the window to see two stormtroopers running in his direction, continuing to damage his ship as they shoot it.

There's fire flaring up the back of the ship as BB-8's beeps lower to a shudder, Poe grabbing the control stick and acknowledging his droid's worry, "I see 'em!"

Using the X-wing's drop-down antipersonnel blaster, Poe aims and fires at the upcoming stormtroopers and they are blown away as the large blast hits them dead-center. When Poe tries to get the ship up in the air, the engines sputter and run back down. Concerned, he throws off his helmet and opens the canopy to the cockpit, jumping down with a blaster rifle strapped over his shoulder. He moves to the back of the ship and notices the fire and damage spread all over the rear engine panel. His jaw sets when realizing they're in trouble.

Lor San Tekka moves sadly through the village as stormtroopers wielding flamethrowers destroy small huts all around him. Screaming villagers without weapons are trying to run away as they're being rounded up towards the center of the village, their penned farm animals squealing in panic.

Back at the X-wing, Poe kneels down to BB-8's height, briefly hidden beneath his ship. He pulls an old artifact from the leather pouch given to him by Lor and inserts it into the droid's multi-reader, "You take this. It's safer with you than it is with me. You get as far away from here as you can. Do you hear me?"

BB-8 hesitates and shakes like an abandoned puppy, whirring quietly up at his master in question. Poe only nods to him with encouragement, "I'll come back for you!" Poe stands up, blaster clenched in his hand as he ducks under his ship's wing and takes off towards the village, "It will be alright!"

BB-8 watches Poe run off and beeps nervously, then turns around to head off in the opposite direction. Poe hides behind a mound of dirt and rocks, huffing for air and psyching himself up. He spins around and takes aim with his blaster rifle, easily aiming and shooting down incoming stormtroopers for cover.

So this mission might be easy for the First Order... it's the least he could do to try and make it a challenge for them. Poe shoots at least three stormtroopers, unaware that the latest one he took down went by a name among his squadron-- Slip.

The moment Slip fell, his friend, FN-2187, broke formation and went sprinting towards him, anxious to check and see if he was alright. Slip was, in fact, not alright, as the hit 'trooper raises a torn, bloody glove, his human hand visible, and marks FN-2187's mask with bloodied fingerprints before Slip falls back and dies.

His friend stands, overwhelmed by the battle, the lights and the screams echoing in his ears as his heartbeat and breaths quicken. He stumbles back, blaster lowered and he watches in horror as the rest of his squadron round up the remaining villagers at the center of their small town. He hides behind a hut just as he hears those familiar engines hovering from above.

Poe also hears the engines and squints his eyes up at the sight of a familiar imposing shuttlecraft, with a vertical wingspan of nearly ninety feet. It lands near the other First Order transport vehicles and Poe lowers his blaster as the realization dawns on him when he last saw that shuttlecraft.

He remembered when Black Squadron had managed to save Elara from the First Order, and just as they were leaving, that exact same shuttlecraft arrived. He remembered how abnormally tight Elara's shoulders got as she sat above him, her eyes widening in fear and possibly loathing anger when she had spotted the dark, looming ship. It was then did he learn that it belonged to Kylo Ren.

And sure enough, as the shuttlecraft's doors open through the wind and smoke, a tall, dark figure, sporting an intimidating mask underneath a dark hood stride down the ramp of his ship and looks around. He walks through the chaos of the village towards Lor San Tekka, who was currently being apprehended by two stormtroopers. The 'troopers let him go as Kylo Ren approached the elder traveler, dwarfing him in size. Lor stares through that dark, battle-worn mask with a heavy gaze, his heart was broken as opposed to being in fear of this man.

"Look how old you've become," the Dark Side-dweller's voice was masked by a metal tone protruding from his mask, but Lor San Tekka didn't appear intimidated by it.

"Something far worse has happened to you."

"You know what I've come for."

"I know where you come from. Before you called yourself _Kylo Ren_ ," Lor barely says the name out loud before his tongue tasted sour.

Kylo's response was immediate and robotic, easily ignoring Lor's attempts to humanize him, "The map to Skywalker. We know you've found it, and now you're going to give it to the First Order."

"The First Order rose from the Dark Side..." Lor's smile was small but it existed, nonetheless, "You did not."

Kylo draws closer, threatening with a lowered voice and a tilted mask, "I'll _show_ you the Dark Side."

Lor's shoulders fall, defeated but brave, "You may try, but you cannot deny the truth that is your family."

"You're so right," and suddenly Kylo Ren ignited his own lightsaber from out of nowhere, the weapon wearing a unique feature of smaller blades perpendicular at the hilt, also protruding red, evil energy and spitting sparks and smoke. Ren raises his lightsaber and everyone in the village screams in horror as he rips it down across Lor San Tekka, the body falling dead without warning.

Poe was running towards his friend before watching him fall, stopping at the sight of Lor's body before he quickly takes aim and fires his blaster rifle in anger. Kylo suddenly spun around and raised his arm, both Poe and his blast freezing in the air, struggling from the stress of Kylo's power. Poe's eyes look around, wide in confusion and fright while watching the bolt of energy he fired straining and vibrating in mid-air, grunting as he tries to get any part of his body to move. Two stormtroopers run over to apprehend him, immobilizing him by ramming the butt of their guns into his sternum. Poe suddenly drops and the stormtroopers grab at both him and his rifle, tearing the two of them apart before dragging him towards the center of the village. As they drag him past the still vibrating, frozen blast, Poe stares at with awe and horror, wondering why or if Lara has used that same kind of power.

He doesn't have time to dwell on it as he's brought to stand right in front of Kylo Ren in Lor San Tekka's place. Kylo moves closer while Poe just glares before one of the stormtroopers kicks out Poe's legs and forcing him to land hard on his knees, the pilot grunting in pain. Kylo Ren kneels down to look at Poe, tilting his head curiously at the pilot while Poe regains his breath, trying to avoid staring at the mask for too long. He doesn't know why, but Poe felt a sense of familiarity when being this close to Kylo Ren.

He doesn't think about it for too long, however, as he decides to try and charm his way out of this situation, as always, "So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?"

"The old man gave it to you," Kylo only observes.

Poe indicates Kylo's mask, "It's just very hard to understand you with all the--"

"Search him."

"--apparatus."

The stormtroopers roughly pull Poe back up to his feet as one of them begins to brutally pat down his jacket and pants. It only takes a few seconds before the 'trooper addresses Kylo while ignoring Poe's glare, "Nothing, sir."

"Put him on board."

Poe is quickly dragged away and the pilot's eyes widen at the sight of a familiar chrome-plated armored stormtrooper, towering over all the others as she marches passed him to address Kylo Ren.

"Sir, the villagers," Captain Phasma questions.

Kylo turns to look at the villagers before ordering, "Kill them all."

Phasma nods, stepping forward as all of the stormtroopers surrounding the trapped villagers raise and aim their blasters, "On my command. Fire!"

"No..." Poe fought back hopelessly against the 'troopers dragging him onto the ship, the pilot trying to look over his shoulder as he helplessly watches all of the men, women, and children get gunned down and brutally murdered on top of one another, their screams being the last thing he hears as the ship's door closes behind them.

~~~~~~~~~

Elara wasn't told that they had lost contact with Poe's X-Wing until _hours_ later. And when she did... she scared even herself when she didn't initially panic but instead stormed right into Leia's office fuming steam from out of her red ears.

"And _when_ exactly was I going to know about this?"

"Elara--"

She leans her arms over her aunt's desk, "Do you think it might be a _little_ impractical to never let your assistant know when one of your top pilots hasn't checked in for hours?"

The sympathetic emotion was suddenly drained from General Organa's face as she lowered her eyebrows in a threatening glare, "Elara Skywalker, lying to a superior officer, such as I, is one thing, but to _yourself_... you were taught better than that. So don't come in here and tell me that you are only worried about Poe Dameron's safety only because you run his squadron's operations!"

"Or I never said I did," Elara admits with a knowing sneer, "And I wasn't lying to myself. I am not lying when I say that I am your right-hand consort... unless I had been demoted?" Leia's mouth shuts, one eyebrow rising when she tried deducing the point Elara was trying to make, "No? Well, then as your assistant, I should be one of the first people to know when a member of _your_ squadron suddenly disappears from our radars-- _period_. It doesn't matter who or what or why. I should know either way! Don't you _dare_ try to make this about my relationship with Poe because I am a _professional_ and I will get this job _done_ , no matter what! You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that if we had lost contact with Snap or Jess, or Karé, that I wouldn't come storming in here demanding to know why I wasn't informed all the same!"

Silence falls over the two women, irritation running between their auras as bright as day. You wouldn't need to be a Jedi to sense it. Leia's eyes revert from squinting and slowly softens, her expression immediately draining into guilt as she sighs, "I didn't want you to worry."

"I'm a big girl, I can take it," Elara doesn't hesitate to assure, "It's my _job_. I wouldn't have taken this position if I thought I was too sensitive for war. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to be with him."

" _Did_ you?" Leia flashes a suspicious look from under her eyelashes as she looked up at her niece.

The snort she lets out wasn't planned as she tried to stop herself from smiling, "No... not really."

Leia rolls her lips and coughs to contain a laugh that threatened to spill out just as C-3PO arrives, "Ah, Threepio," she stands from her desk, "Have you been able to get a hold of Beebee-Ate?"

Elara's hair whips over her shoulder as she twists her head to watch Threepio join them at the desk, holding onto his datapad in his red arm, "I regret to inform you, General, that I have been unable to make contact with neither Beebee-Ate or Mister Poe Dameron. The usual homing beacon installed within his X-Wing had been damaged and the last location it pinged from was still on Jakku."

Leia carefully watches Elara's posture when the younger woman's arms stiffen around herself when she crossed them over her chest. But other than that, Elara had managed to keep a straight face when hearing the downtrodden news, either because she really was prepared to hear this or because she wanted to prove Leia her point. She looks between the General and the android before turning to exit the office, "Keep trying, Threepio."

"Of course, Mistress Elara."

She deflates a little once the office doors close behind her, letting out a long, shaking sigh while turning to walk down the hallways and ignoring anyone who passes her. Elara found herself wandering the inner-workings of the base before climbing the stairs to the landing strips, looking around and watching everyone go about their duties before she heard someone call out to her.

"Elara! Hey! Lara!"

She shakes her head out of whatever cloud was fogging her thoughts as Snap and Karé approach her, their arms entwined.

"Hey, Elara," Snap smiled softly, "Anything from Poe?"

When she shakes her head, the married couple starts to deflate and Elara is quick to add, "Not yet. But you guys will be the first to know if I hear anything. I promise."

She quickly turns and walks away so she could avoid their pitied glances.

~~~~~~~~~

It had been hours later, and Poe was drifting in and out of consciousness while strapped to the interrogation chair aboard another Star Destroyer. He would go as far as saying that stormtroopers didn't know how to torture someone for information, but with their armor, they sure know how to beat the crap out of them. The interrogation droid floating in the corner of the room was no exception.

"I had no idea we had the best pilot in the Resistance on board."

Poe slowly opens his eyes, his gaze heavy with exhaustion, and the blood caked over his lids didn't help. He leans forward in the interrogation chair, feeling the blood and sweat drip down past his ears and ease down his neck. He glares as Kylo Ren stands in the center of the room, standing taller than he had remembered, but then again wasn't sure as to how much time had passed since he was captured.

"Comfortable?" The voice of static asks.

"Not really."

"I'm impressed," Ren slowly walks forward, "No one has been able to get out of you what you did with the map."

At this point, Poe was just tired and beat, his words flat on his tongue while blinking, "You might want to rethink your technique."

Kylo only tilts his head and raises his arm. A look of confusion crosses Poe's face and tries resisting against whatever was suddenly pounding in his brain, looking as though he was going to be sick. He struggled, hissing in pain as it only intensifies until Kylo's hand shoots forward and Poe's head slams back against the chair in response. A vein bulges in his neck as he struggled, letting out a pained groan as every inch of him shook against the intensity pulsing in his head.

"Where is it?"

He couldn't help it. It was in his nature to be stupidly brave, or so his girlfriend tells him, "The Resistance will not be intimidated by you."

Kylo's hand draws back in closer on himself, Poe's head followed suit as he's now leaning out of his chair, trying to fight against the hold.

" _Where_. Is it," Ren's voice starts to lose control under the mask, but Poe can't seem to focus on that as his head feels as though it was going to burst. There's a presence in his mind that doesn't belong there; thoughts that are not his own, rummaging through his brain and plucking away at the chords like a harp. Poe keeps trying to pull back, every inch of him sweating at the progression. The pain only worsens until something snaps inside Poe's head. A trigger, a memory, flashing white with searing heat as Poe slowly rips out an agonizing scream.

Kylo reaches for the white-hot memory without hesitation, confident that it's the location of the map. The memory he wants is now in his grasp. The moment Kylo pushed into Poe's head, ignoring the painful screams of protest, he wasn't expecting the memories of a young woman blocking his path to the information of the map's location.

_"Hey, Flyboy."_

_Kylo turns around the same time Poe does in the memory, the servant of the Dark Side stuttering in utter shock under his helmet when recognizing the woman in front of him. She had dark brown hair like his mother and matching grey eyes like his uncle. The grin she bestowed, however, was nearly identical to one of his father's, secretly chilling Ren to the bone._

_But she wasn't smiling at him. She was grinning at Poe with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "I love you."_

_The Poe in the memory grins knowingly, his eyes nearly shining with excitement while slowly walking backward towards his X-Wing, waving and shouting, "I love you more!"_

_She rolls her eyes playfully in response, and just like Kylo Ren's own memory of her, she always got the last word, "Idiot."_

_The memory shifts to a battlefield where Poe is trapped in a corner while blasting at TIE Fighters from the ground. Out of nowhere, the TIE fighters explode and Poe looks up to see a familiar X-Wing flying past him, a familiar voice over the radio._

_"So that's two for me and zero for you, Dameron."_

_BB-8 beeps ecstatically at his pilot's feet while Poe just sighs, "I know, buddy. Someday I'll marry that woman."_

_The scene shifts again and Kylo finds himself in a med bay, with Poe on the bed across from Ren and the same woman standing beside him with her arms folded and eyes cross while staring down at the pilot._

_Poe, with a bandage on his arm, had the nerve to grin and point in Doctor Kalonia's direction while staring up at her, "Can you tell the Doc to let me out with your mind control?"_

_He wiggles his fingers to emphasize his point and she huffs in irritation, biting her words towards the medic, "Keep him here for as long as you like."_

_"You act as though I **want** him here," Kalonia grumbles while Poe flashes a feigned look of betrayal in the woman's direction._

_Kylo finds himself in some form of sleeping quarters now, a small room with a small window hanging above the bed. The sun's just barely rising to light the room with its glow, and she's kneeling beside a sleeping Poe on the mattress, uncontrollably smiling as she tries to shake him awake, "Poe... it's time to get up. We have a briefing in an hour."_

_He doesn't respond and continues to slightly snore, his face buried in his pillow with his arm reached out in the spot where she used to lay. She rolls her eyes and stands from the bed, clearing her throat and shouting, "Commander Dameron!"_

_The pilot shoots out of bed and nearly hits his head on the shelf that hung just below the window. She laughs to the point where she's on the ground, holding her sides all the while Poe rubs his eyes and grumbles a bunch of incoherent words that were meant to hurt someone's feelings._

Kylo pulls out of the treasure trove of memories and even steps away from the prisoner for good measure as if he had been shocked. Poe is gasping for breath, sweating from head to toe while a vein protrudes from his forehead. Kylo looks down at the hand he had held up moments before now that he held it close, examining it for answers.

After Poe felt the air returning to his lungs, he tiredly flashes a grin, "Find what you were looking for?"

"Elara Skywalker."

The very name drove Poe's entire form to freeze, his eyes widening in fear once Kylo looked up from his hand to meet his gaze through the dark mask.

"It's been a long time since I have seen her face. And yet, I recognized her all the same in your memory."

The confusion coexisted with the fear in the pilot's eyes as his muscles clenched stiffly when Kylo leaned forward, tilting his head at Poe, "Perhaps it was time I paid her a _visit_."

It had been the first time Poe strained and pushed against his restraints frantically, breaking a sweat just by trying to fight against his cuffs. He was huffing for air when he gave into the interrogation chair but the malice in his eyes was far more hateful, "I don't know _who_ you are, or _how_ you know Elara. But if you touch her, I swear on my mother's grave I will drop a _planet_ on you!"

"Show me where the map is," Kylo instructs, "And I won't touch a hair on Skywalker's pretty little head."

Poe frantically shakes his head in both directions, his wet hair following the motions as he kept his teeth and fists clenched, "You'll hurt her anyway. You'll kill and kill until there isn't any Jedi left to oppose you. General Organa warned me about that--"

"--When you went to save Elara from Captain Phasma," Ren nods loosely, unafraid, "I remember. I should have known that it was _you_ who rescued Skywalker from her captivity. And to think I was so close to torturing her the same way I'm torturing you."

The snarl Poe let out was animalistic, to say the least as Kylo Ren raises his hand again, even wiggling his fingers in blithe, "Perhaps I should _show_ you what I would have done if I got a hold of her."

Poe's head slams back against the chair at the force of Kylo's powers, the air being knocked out of his lungs and forcing him to cough. Dameron grunts, squeezing his eyes shut when he felt that uncomfortable pain of some sort of presence rummaging around in his brain again, only this being was forcing an image in his head that wasn't his own. It was like watching a hologram behind Poe's closed eyes, clearly seeing the scene in front of him without knowing where it came from. The presence was uncaring and elusive, mixing its demeaning thoughts in with Poe's less so. It forced the scene unto him, and Poe was powerless to stop it.

_He could see Elara, strapped to a chair similar to his own. Her long hair was matted with knots and wet from sweat and blood. She was struggling far more fiercely against her restraints in an attempt to get away from Kylo Ren as he stalks closer to her, and she was screaming and snarling frantically like some wild animal, her eyes unfocused as she looks anywhere but at her captor._

_"Go away-- GO AWAY!" She howled, arching her back in another attempt of breaking free of her restraints, "You're a MURDERER! I hate you! GET AWAY FROM ME!"_

_Instead of raising his arm, Kylo Ren ignited his lightsaber, holding it up in front of Elara's face and driving her to stop moving so she could avoid getting burned with the close proximity Kylo held it to her skin._

_"You were always too weak," the man behind the mask snarls with static, "You were never going to be a real Jedi."_

_He was agonizingly slow with his methods as he carefully brought the thriving blade of his red lightsaber to her skin as she starts to squirm and plead again, "No... no no no no, w-wait. Wait, please-- PLEASE!"_

_Poe couldn't even lift his hands to cover his ears as his brain is bombarded with Elara's gutwrenching screams. He could faintly smell burnt flesh and had the sudden urge to throw up, his eyes stinging without his permission as he realized that his screams were beginning to mix in with hers as he begged Kylo Ren to stop._

_He tried to remember that this wasn't real. This never happened and will **never** happen. Elara is safe. She's back on D'Qar and even **if** she were brought to Kylo Ren when she was last captured, it wouldn't have made any difference. Poe knows that Elara would have rather died than fall into enemy hands. Her fail-safe poison would have taken its toll and kill her before Kylo Ren could ever reach her._

_But her screams kept interrupting his thoughts and Poe felt as though his head might explode. He starts thrashing around, throwing his head side to side as if that would knock the visions from behind his eyes. He kept screaming, threatening and begging Kylo Ren to stop, trying to fight back on the all-too-real visuals._

_"STOP! STOP IT!" He found himself screaming, hearing the horrific sound of a lightsaber slowly cracking and breaking through bone. He's crying out with his heart constricting dangerously, his teeth vibrating as he shouts to the very top of his lungs, "NO! STOP IT! ELARA!"_

_A spark of one of his own memories leaks through the fake one Kylo kept showing Poe, and both of the men pause and turn around at the sound of a song of beeps and whurs. A small ball of orange and white was trying to cut away at Poe's bonds with his tiny little saw, looking up and smugly expecting Poe to thank him behind his single eye._

_"Beebee-Ate!" Poe's sudden wave of happiness immediately falls when he saw that Kylo Ren noticed the droid trying to rescue him. Even without seeing behind his mask, Poe knows Kylo Ren recognizes the droid from a few of his memories and doesn't have to be an idiot to put the puzzle pieces together. Kylo takes a step away from Elara and towards BB-8, and the pilot's face pales, "No... **run** , Beebee! RUN!"_

The illusion suddenly shatters and Poe's throat hurts from screaming as Kylo Ren finally pulls out of his head, retracting his arm. Poe opens his eyes to realize his vision was blurry of angry tears, but it didn't obstruct his sight enough for him to come to the conclusion that none of it was real. Elara was gone and so was BB-8. It was just him and Kylo, the latter looking up from his hand and tilting his helmet towards Poe before flipping around and walking out the sliding doors to meet the one and only General Hux outside his interrogation room.

"It's in a droid. A BB-unit."

"Well, then," Hux grins, "If it's on Jakku, we'll soon have it."

"I leave that to you."

Kylo leaves just as the doors to the interrogation room slides shut and Poe is finally alone again. He huffs in exhaustion while leaning back in defeat against his restraints, panting loudly to try and catch his breath while closing his eyes and visibly cringing. It won't be long now... they'll fly back out to Jakku and find BB-8 if that droid already hasn't gotten himself into trouble like his master no doubt would've. If they find him, then it's over. They'll retrieve the map to Luke Skywalker and tear that poor droid apart, maybe even dump him into a trash compactor and let the dumpster do the rest. Poe shivers as he couldn't bear the thought. And then they'll kill Poe. They don't need him anymore, he's already unwillingly given away the most important information that would've given the Resistance a head start in the game.

If the First Order gets to Luke Skywalker first, then it's over. They'll kill him and there will be no more Jedis... unless Elara is forced to finish her training and take her father's place as the very last one. Poe grinds his teeth together at the thought of Elara putting a target on her back if she were willing to do that. Once she picks up her lightsaber again then the First Order will be after her next... and then the vision of Kylo hurting Elara behind Poe's eyes will inevitably happen, just to spite the pilot, who will long be dead before then.

Poe would rather throw himself into the fiery pits of Mustafar then let that happen. Too bad he won't have the opportunity to do so if he was to die any minute now.

~~~~~~~~~

"Still no word from him, Commander."

"Thank you, Captain," Elara nods at the pilot, who straightens up with a salute and leaves the command center. The female Skywalker waits for him to leave before closing in on herself, folding her arms in front of her whilst sucking in a shaking breath. Trying to ease her mind of panic and worry, Elara rubs her face and takes deep breaths, straightening out her jacket when the doors slide open and General Organa steps inside.

The older woman steps inside and eyes Elara knowingly once the General realizes they were alone, "I managed to stop the Captain just now. Still no word from Dameron."

"I know, General," her voice is tight as if the title felt wrong coming from her lips.

Leia shakes her head with a sigh, walking over to stand in front of her consort. She makes sure to lock eyes with the younger woman before gently grabbing her hands and fixing her a pointed look. Almost immediately, Elara relaxes and squeezes her aunt's hands tightly. They were alone in the room, she can cut the formalities when it's just the two of them, as it always has been for the longest of time.

"Stop worrying," Leia advises softly, "He's the best pilot we have. He'll come back."

"Same song, different verse," Elara finds herself reciting, "If I recall correctly, you used to be in the same boat as me."

"I still am," Leia nods in agreement, "I always will be until one day he does not return."

Elara smiles faintly at the idea of Leia's husband, thinking back to the operation Black Squadron preformed retrieving the Alderaanian Archives. She was so close to reuniting with Han and Chewbacca again... a brief shooting star flying by just as she blinked. She had faith she would see her uncle again... but her faith in seeing Poe again dimmed a lot less bright than before as a thought struck her, "...You do realize that if Poe went and got himself captured... we both know who will be the one to interrogate him."

Leia's sigh is quiet, defeated. Elara straightens her posture, tightening her grip around herself as she glares out the window, "I know you don't want to think about it. I can feel your conflict. You don't want to think about your son possibly hurting another man you also consider as one of your own. Allow me to help with that conflict..." she turns to the General and her eyes are hard as stone, "If Kylo Ren kills Poe... I won't hesitate to finish what you couldn't."

The General tries not to show distress as she hesitates to reach out and touch her niece's arms, "Revenge isn't the Jedi way, Elara."

"I'm not a Jedi," she quickly reminds General Organa with a glare, "And that should worry Snoke and Kylo Ren should anything happen to Poe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter during the events of the Force Awakens: DONE!
> 
> Please lemme know what you think! So far, I actually have most of the fanfic written out even far past the events of the Rise of Skywalker, so I'm really hoping you guys will enjoy what I've been cooking up since before December of 2019 XD


	15. Chapter Fourteen

General Organa walked into the war room the next morning only to find Elara already waiting for her there. Others follow Leia in as well, Admiral Ackbar warmly greeting the two women as everyone forms around the table to plan the next level of attack. Poe and BB-8 were still missing and they now haven't been able to reach Lor San Tekka either, so others were wondering whether or not it would be safe to send a search party or wait another 24 hours for Poe to send word.

Either way, Leia wasn't sure what Elara was thinking. She was hard to read this morning, and the signature that usually forms around her in the Force was unleveled and sporadic. The young Skywalker only either stared down at her datapad or at the table as Admiral Statura started forming a plan, refusing to make eye contact with anyone including her aunt as Leia stood beside her. Her hair was a little unruly, falling from a braided crown formed around the base of her skull. Elara doesn't fix it besides pushing the loose strands behind her ear and even then, her hair didn't seem tameable. Leia observed how Elara was wearing a jacket to try and hide the fact that she was wearing the same clothes from yesterday underneath, the bags under her eyes darker than usual. It was safe to assume that she never went to bed last night.

The meeting drags on as the officers of the Resistance debated on what was the most logical plan as to retrieving the map to Luke Skywalker. Leia happily listens to everyone's opinions while rolling her eyes at Threepio's, which is understandable. Elara remains quiet the entire time, up until mid-afternoon when suddenly people are seen rushing in and out of comms, demanding that someone fetch General Organa from outside the war room. Everyone inside the room looks at the doors quizzically, wondering what all the commotion was about. The radio inside the war room blared into static and screams as C-3PO leaves the room to go and figure out what was going on in comms. Elara made a step towards the door to follow him, her mind buzzing on its own at the thought that maybe the people outside were freaking out because Poe had finally arrived.

But she suddenly dropped to the floor as she and even _Leia_ both feel faint nearly simultaneously, grabbing for something or someone for support as everyone around them looks on in worry. Some bustle, screaming for a medic, while others busy about either helping the two women stand back up or run off when they hear all sorts of shouting coming from the comms station again. Chaos ensues as Elara puts a hand over her mouth, afraid she might throw up. Her head was killing her, pounding against her skull while akin to feeling like a floating balloon.

She looks over to her aunt, who's nearly in the same predicament, staring down at her niece with watery eyes, all hope lost in Leia Organa's features, "The Republic..."

"It's gone," Elara finishes in a faint whisper, "They're all gone... billions of people... screaming--"

"I know. A great deal of pain and loss within the Force."

"We just received word," Admiral Statura steps into the crowd once a captain finishes whispering something in his ear, "The First Order had set up a Starkiller weapon and took out the entire Hosnian System. They destroyed the New Republic."

"General! General!"

Both Elara and Leia look up to spot C-3PO shuffling towards them, the droid noticing how pale they appeared when he stood over them from the floor, "Oh, my goodness! General Organa, Mistress Elara, are you alright?"

Elara wants to scream and shout, saying she's not alright as she felt millions of more men, women, and children, split apart and die within the Force. But Leia's hand grounds her when she grips the young woman's shoulder, "What is it?"

"Ah! An operative of mine, GA-97, reported back to me from Takodana! He says he spotted BB-8 in Maz Kanata's palace!"

Elara's mind finally catches up to her when hearing the familiar name of her boyfriend's droid and hope suddenly bursts in her eyes while looking up at her family's droid, "Threepio! Did your spy mention anyone else with Beebee?"

"I told you, they are not spies, Mistress Elara! They are my operati--"

"Threepio!"

"Right. Sorry. Yes. GA-97 reported saying he saw a few people with him. One of them was wearing a Resistance jacket."

"It's Poe," Elara speaks up confidently, everyone in the room now brightening by her words. She spun around to face her aunt, "The Republic might be gone, but there's still hope. If Poe and Beebee-Ate found the map to Luke Skywalker, then we can find him and raise the Jedi back up. The First Order may have won today, but they won't tomorrow!"

Leia's smile was brighter than the sun, beaming down at Elara with pride while looking around to see each elated face watching them. She looks back at her niece and nods, "Get your fleet ready, Commander Skywalker. You're going to Takodana. And you're going to bring justice to what the First Order did to the Republic."

Everyone cheers around them and Elara nods with a grin, standing up and racing out of the room, some pilots trailing behind her. As they all sprint down to the hangar, they also catch other pilots in the hallway, informing them to get ready for a fight.

This is it. The war has finally started. They no longer had to hide and wait for the First Order to make a move. Their time has come. The Resistance is ready for them.

"Snap!" Elara called from the opposite end of the hangar. Wexley and Karé both look up from their conversation and Jessika leaps down from her lounge on her X-Wing. Suralinda sprints up to meet them as Elara joins the small crowd, "Poe's on Takodana. The First Order has just destroyed the Hosnian System and with that, the Republic," Elara looks around at each and every one of their horrified faces while nodding, "This is it. We're at war. And no doubt the First Order is heading towards Takodana to fetch Poe and Beebee-Ate to get a hold of that map to Luke Skywalker."

"Not on our watch," Karé snarls while Snap straightens up, and Jess grits her teeth.

Elara nods in agreement, "Suit up. We leave on Leia's command. For Poe."

"For Poe," Suralinda nods.

"For Poe!"

"For Poe!"

"For Poe!"

As Black Squadron breaks up to prep their ships, Elara hears a beep from her datapad and looks down curiously. Her heart nearly stops to recognize an old code she hasn't seen in a long time. Her smile returns and she's suddenly running back out of the hangar and down the hallways again, not yet noticing an old junk ship from Jakku landing nearby.

~~~~~~~~~

"General Organa!"

Leia turned to watch her niece running down the hallway towards her, a splitting grin on her face that reminded her all too much of a certain smuggler. By the time Elara reached the General, she saw people watching them curiously and remembered to straighten her persona and act as the General's consort instead of her niece.

"I think it's time to admit that I was given a tracking beacon from Han Solo before he left," Leia's eyes narrow curiously at the young woman before Elara continued, "He said that if I ever got a signal from the beacon, it meant he had found the Millennium Falcon and that he would be coming home shortly," despite the many people watching her, Elara couldn't help the bright smile that graced her face, reminding her aunt of how she was when she was a child, "Well, this morning that beacon lit up like the brightest star I've ever seen! And now I know where he is."

The General's eyes gleamed with hope before nodding for the other officers to follow her as she follows Elara back down the hallway, all of them quickly walking towards the hanger deck, "Where?"

"Takodana. Of all places. What are the odds?" Elara rushed out while showing the General her tablet of information, "Han must be stopping there first to visit Maz and retrieve supplies for the Falcon."

"If you had a tracking beacon, then others might as well. The First Order is already on their way to get hold of Luke's map. And Han will be walking right into their trap," Leia sighs as they just make it back out onto the hangar deck, "We need to send out a bigger fleet to help escort him back, away from the fight. I'll have a pilot chosen for the task--"

"Did someone say they need a pilot?"

Looking up as they reached the hangar, the two women stop in their tracks as their eyes widen in shock at the sight in front of them. Limping towards the General and her consort was none other than Poe Dameron himself, his hair fringed in some places and the blood on his face sticking uncomfortably to his skin as it dried. Sand was stuck in his ears and on his face and he was wearing grungy, torn scavenger rags that barely fit him. He wore a lopsided grin, all the same, his shoulders slouching rapidly as he breathed harshly due to a few broken ribs.

General Organa couldn't help the grin that graced her mouth when watching Elara's reaction to the pilot's return. The young woman couldn't form words with her eyes only on Poe, staring at him in disbelief. Poe waits for a response as he only looked at her as well, his eyebrows rising expectedly.

All too soon, the moment is broken when Elara's smile returned as she breathed out a huge sigh of relief as a way of containing her excitement, "No, we said we needed an idiot to come back from his stupid mission."

"Well then, I'm your guy, Commander Skywalker," Poe laughed while trying to form a bow, but winched and grabbed his rib cage as he did so. With the moment passed, Poe's face changes to stern when addressing Leia, "General, I need to brief you on my mission."

"I'll say," Leia folds her arms and flashes a questionable look, "What the Hell happened to you? We thought you were with Beebee-Ate... where _is_ your droid, Commander?"

"I don't know, General," Poe's face falls while walking up to her, "There's no easy way to say this. I lost the map, and Lor San Tekka was killed by the First Order. They took me prisoner, but I escaped, with the help of a stormtrooper who turned on them."

"In other words... disaster," Leia's face falls at the news, and Poe looks between her and Elara with confusion.

"Did something else happen while I was away?"

"The Hosnian System was wiped out by some sort of Starkiller weapon built by the First Order," Elara informed him with a broken gaze, "The Republic is gone."

Poe's face formed into utter horror at the news, his wide eyes darting to the ground while wetting his lips and trying to make sense of it. Elara wanted to step up and hold him, knowing he was originally a commander for the New Republic and no doubt had friends who still served in the Hosnian System, but couldn't bring herself to do so as Poe quickly tried covering up his hurt by profusely apologizing to Leia. He told her that there was still a chance that BB-8 had the map, although he had no idea where his droid was. Leia let him explain all the ways he failed her, failed the Resistance, failed the Galaxy. She just listened and let him talk. She was good like that. And then she dropped the bomb.

"Your droid is on Takodana."

Poe's eyes widen, not expecting that as her first response, "Isn't that... Maz Kanata's place?"

"Yup. Two people just walked right in with him."

"We thought one of them was _you_ ," Elara pointed out while trying to catch Poe up on the situation.

Leia nods and continues, "We got a call from one of Threepio's operatives-- GA-97. But we need to _move_ , Poe. The First Order has a bounty out for Beebee... and you know the kind of scoundrels that hang out at Maz's palace. If we know where your droid is, you can bet the First Order does, too."

Elara's expression turns stoic at the mention of scoundrels and turns to the General, "And they won't just send a small fleet, they'll send a whole army. We'll need to do the same."

"I agree," General Organa nods, "Elara, send word to all fighter pilots. Let them know the situation and have all X-Wing pilots report to the hangar deck immediately," she turns her gaze to the man standing in front of them, "We'll have them be our first wave of attack lead by Poe Dameron."

"Yes, ma'am," Elara mutters while tapping down on her tablet.

"Thank you, General," Poe nods.

"Don't thank me yet. Elara already had Black Squadron prepping for launch. Be sure they know what we're up against," Leia turns back to Elara and made sure the younger woman was looking at her when she addressed her next plan of attack, "I need _you_ on the ground. Get into the fight and retrieve the droid. Keep him and Han safe."

"You can count on me, General," Elara grinned wickedly.

"Threepio and I will be on a dropship behind you if you succeed. See that you do. Dismissed," Leia turns to get ready, leading the young pair alone.

Poe doesn't hesitate to step closer to the woman once the General leaves, "Did you miss me?"

"No," Elara is still grinning as her eyes dart up to his, "I was celebrating your absence."

"No, you weren't."

For a moment, she looks as though she might hold her ground before melting the fake facade away, eyes softening to one of relief and joy, "You're right. I missed you."

Poe's smile is gentle now as he wraps his arms around her, Elara's arms slowly slithering up around his neck to pull him down to her. She holds him tightly for several moments to just breathe in his scent, burying her face in his neck before letting go, knowing that they had a job to do. She steps away and he lets her, fixing her a worried look.

"Think you'll be alright on the front lines? I haven't seen you train in a while."

"Please," she rolled her eyes while reaching down to hold a small weapon lying snug in her belt, "Like I need training. Did you forget who my father is?"

Poe eyed the lightsaber and then looked back to her, raising his eyebrows, "Are you actually going to use it for once?"

"Only if I desperately need it."

His gaze hardens against his will, "For once, you might. We're at war now. I don't even know what color it is."

Elara decides that she didn't like the ghostly features added to his battle-worn face and so she tries lighting up the mood, "It's rainbow."

It only startles a small laugh out of him, but it was at least progress, "Haha."

"No, really."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

She huffs, "Hopefully, you won't."

"I'll ask Beebee-Ate if you used it," he threatens while pointing a finger at her and she playfully swats it away.

"Aren't you afraid I might not rescue him?"

Poe's smile briefly returns while reaching up and loosening her long hair from its braid, watching it fall around her shoulders like a veil. There's something in his eyes, deep and dark, something Elara has never seen in his eyes before. They were cracking slowly as if Poe was remembering something and his body shivered in response.

"Poe?" She asked, her teasing facade dropping as she reaches to grip his arm.

His dark curls shake as he falls out of that dark pit, his eyes blinking and suddenly the dark gaze is gone. He bites his lips, forcing himself to smile while his mind and heart were racing to the thought of Elara strapped to an interrogation chair and BB-8 being thrown down a trash compactor. He quickly reminds himself that none of it was real as he leaned forward to kiss her hairline, "If there's anyone I trust with my droid, it's _you_."

~~~~~~~~~

If there was one thing Han Solo was extremely good at, is squeezing out of tight situations. No one really knows how he does it, but they always trust that he'll always come around when they need him the most. As he, Finn, and Chewie crawl out of the ruins of Maz Kanata's palace, Han doesn't hesitate to fire his blaster the moment he sees that familiar white armor. He shoots down two before training his blaster and firing it off behind him without even looking. When he did eventually look, he grinned when his blaster met its mark and had shot down another stormtrooper.

Nora had always wanted him to try training with her and Luke. It was very clear to her that he was Force-sensitive, but Han always brushed it off as luck. He didn't need to believe he had the Force with him and he wasn't gonna go swearing off to some sort of religion he never truly understood in the first place. Han was content in just being himself and he didn't need any fancy lightsaber to help him out of any of these sticky situations he finds himself in all the time.

Such as getting captured by the First Order, like, almost immediately. All it takes is for Han to let his guard down when rescuing Finn and suddenly the stormtroopers have them surrounded. They take their weapons, and honestly, those 'troopers have a death wish if they keep taking that Bowcaster from poor Chewie, before ordering the three fighters to lift their hands on their heads and follow them through the ruins of the palace. As they're trekking through the debris, the stormtroopers spot something in the distance and start running around and taking formations.

"We have incoming in 28.6!"

"Move! Move! Move! Move!"

"Scramble all squads! Repeat, scramble all squads! Head to higher cover and wait for our position!"

It was like a wave of water was coming at them from the lake resting beside what was left of Maz's palace. As the stormtroopers spread out and aim towards the wave of water, Han, Chewie, and Finn lower their arms and watch with amazement as the wave drew closer, and suddenly they could visibly see an entire squad of X-Wing's take form.

Han could have sworn he heard the sound of trumpets and his heart raced at the thought, "It's the Resistance."

 _This was something else_ , Poe thought. It was the first time the Resistance had gone up against the First Order... for real, this time. He gripped the controls with a grin, "Go straight ahead at them! Don't let these thugs scare you!"

"Copy that."

"We're with you, Poe."

"Babe, I see a landing zone for ya," Poe's eyes glance over to a small opening by the treeline, near the beach, "On our right."

"I see it," he looks over to spot Elara's X-Wing floating nearby, her hair and eyes hidden underneath her helmet, "I'm gonna need cover."

"We'll provide as much as possible. Just get down there and find our droid!"

Elara smiles to herself at the mention of BB-8 being their shared droid before shoving her controls and leading her ship downwards. She breaks off from the Resistance's formation and doesn't stop plummeting down even when the First Order is finally noticing them and firing down at her. She becomes an easier target as she was now separated from her fleet, TIE fighters closing fast all around her. Elara flinches when some shots appeared too close to her, but stayed on target, clutching the controls even tighter now.

"It's getting hot!" She yelled into comms, "Where's that cover I was promised?"

"There's quite a few up here, too, Lara," Poe's voice comes through, "We're trying our best in drawing their fire away but you're too low to the ground for us to provide back up."

"That's kind of the point! I'm supposed to _land_ this thing!" Elara growls in frustration, "Kriff this, I'm gonna try spinning. That's always a good trick."

She holds down the food she ate earlier today and takes a deep breath, shoving her controls to one side and watching as the world spins all around her. She doesn't let up and hopes for the best, continuing to spin the entire ship to avoid all the shots the TIE fighters throw at her.

"Lara, pull up!" Poe yells, "You're going to crash! Pull up!"

"Not yet!" She yells back, taking fewer but deeper breaths as she waits a little longer. Even with her entire vision spinning, she trusted the Force to let her know when the ground would be coming up on her. Before long, she starts to see a beach far too close for comfort, "Now!"

She pulls the controls back to her as hard as she could, screaming and ignoring all the blaring red warnings her ship was flashing in her face. The bottom of her X-Wing just barely skids across the sand, eliciting fumes to sprout in her wake. Looking behind her, she watches as the TIE fighters pursuing her aren't able to pull up in time and crash right into the ground, exploding without warning. Elara cheers and shouts in delight, letting up only a little bit on the controls to safely land her X-Wing into the landing zone, "This is Black Six. I'm on the ground and moving in."

Poe slouches back in his seat for a moment to let out the long breath he had been holding. He only saw the TIE fighters explode and feared the worse, "Copy that," now his mind was back in the fight with his focus no longer set on watching Elara fly. Meanwhile, the female Jedi leaps down from her X-Wing and tosses her helmet aside, immediately getting caught up in the battle, running off to avoid the blaster fire now aiming at her from the stormtroopers.

Han is no longer occupied with the stormtroopers keeping him prisoner as an X-Wing shot down each of his, Chewie's, and Finn's captors individually. The three look at each other in confusion before Han breaks into a run to the nearest weapon, "Quick!"

He and Chewie grab their blasters and bows while Finn dives for the lightsaber Maz gave him. He takes down two stormtroopers with another blaster he picked up and braces for the pain he'll feel with a TIE shooting straight for him. He doesn't have to worry however as an X-Wing flies overhead and shoots it down before it even reaches Finn. The X-Wing then shoots down another right before Finn's eyes as he flew past the first explosion. The X-Wing spins to avoid the gunfire and takes down two more TIES, weaving through the ruins of Maz's palace and fires down at a group of stormtroopers from the air, not missing any mark and sending even targets on the ground flying. The skilled X-Wing then flips upside down and meets another TIE fighter in a loop, firing and shooting it down without hesitation. Finn runs through the battlefield, watching this ship take down the enemy one by one in fascination, screaming and cheering as it flew by him, "Yeah! That's one Hell of a pilot!"

" **Woo-hoo**!" Poe cheers to himself, exhilarated by all the fancy flying he's been waiting to show off for some time. He's had some tangles with the First Order from the past but this was different. He was out in the open, they all were, where everyone can see. Everyone at Maz Kanata's castle, watching the Resistance protect them from those First Order goons. It gave Poe all this energy, this _push_. He took down nine TIES in one run. _Nine_ , and a bunch of ground targets, too. It felt amazing. Like he was really tapping into something.

Han Solo isn't watching the fancy flying, however, taking Chewie's Bowcaster, yet again, to fire down at a group of stormtroopers. They all scatter and in his wake, he hears a familiar shout. Someone on the ground that wasn't Chewie, getting closer. Han didn't know a whole lot about the Force, but he can sense it quite a bit whenever he was around _family_.

The old smuggler spins around and sees her, in the distance. She has a blaster in her hand, shooting down one, two, three stormtroopers without missing once. She front-flips into the air to avoid blaster fire, moving unnaturally fast for any being...

Except for a Jedi.

 _That's her alright,_ Han thought while watching his niece push back several stormtroopers at once by using the Force. She has yet to draw her lightsaber, but he doubts she ever will. She's powerful enough without it.

Han sees the TIE fighters high in the air before his niece could and screams out to her, "ELARA!"

She whips out around at his voice and so doesn't see the danger coming down to her from the sky. She meets eyes with Han and smiles before the ground explodes around her, sending her flying off to the side. Elara grunts, managing to land on her feet and breaking into a run to try and ward off the TIES, the fighters quickly gaining speed on her and firing at will, the blasts break and shoot up the ground all around her, just barely missing at a time. She eventually grew tired from running and decided to meet the bastards head-on, turning back around and gripping her blaster in one hand while going to reach for her lightsaber with the other. If looks could kill, the TIE fighters would be ashes right now under her glare.

It turns out she needn't worry about the TIES as they're all shot out of the air and crashing several yards away from Elara. She looks up to watch a familiar X-Wing fly by and grins when hearing the excited shouting over the radio.

"YES! I've got your back, sweetheart! Go kick some ass for me!" Poe comms her with encouragement.

Elara breaks back into a run, this time with a destination as she now has her sights on a familiar tower of walking carpet standing tall in the middle of the battlefield, "CHEWIE!"

The Wookie turns at his name and roars excitedly when he spots Elara in the distance. Han soon joins him after taking out two more stormtroopers, his relieved expression to see the younger woman still in one piece doesn't even let up as more firepower erupts all around them.

Elara jumps over debris and sprints towards her uncle with a bright and wide smile, barely even reaching him as she shouts, "Han Solo, looking good for an old guy!"

"Kid!" Han yells in response and laughs just as she jumps into his awaiting arms. They cling to each other for long moments, Elara laughing in his ear and still smiling when he sets her down.

They turn and pull away, however, when they hear chatter over Elara's radio, "The First Order is falling back!"

They stop fighting and sure enough, the stormtroopers have as well, falling back to their ships and climbing on board as fast as possible. In the distance, a different looking ship, menacing and dark, was still grounded, and a dark figure approached it while carrying a young girl in his arms. A wave of dread crosses over Han and Elara as they watch the figure climb on board that familiar command shuttle, knowing that they wouldn't get there in time to stop him.

"REEEY!" Han hears Finn scream from a distance.

It was not even a minute after the First Order flew away did Leia's dropship start approaching, and Elara looks around at the remnants of Maz's castle, watching the fires and debris spread all around her. Chewie practically sprints up and carries her off the ground like a rag doll, pulling her close and swinging her around in a hug.

"Alright, buddy, alright," she laughs, "I missed you, too."

Chewie sets Elara down just as she hears the familiar sounds of excited beeps from behind her and spun around, laughing as BB-8 is seen rolling out of the jungle, spinning straight towards her like an excited puppy, "There you are! Come here, baby!"

Han watches with interest as Elara kneels down just as BB-8 reaches her, excitedly beeping and rambling and telling her everything that's happened to him all in one go. Han is distantly thinking how it looked like a child coming home from school and telling his mother about the best day ever. Elara listens intently with a bright smile, nodding her head when she needed to and wrapping her arms around the circular droid as best as she could while planting a kiss on the top of his dome head.

"Thank the Maker you're alright. Poe will be so thrilled to see you, " BB-8 beeps sadly in response all the while Elara just shakes her head, smile unwavering, "Oh no, buddy, he's not dead. Poe is alive. He led all the pilots here today to come and find you!"

BB-8's entire form shakes in surprise, drowning out Elara's laughs with beeps and squeaks of excitement while running circles all around her feet as she stands. Han's arms rest on his hips and exchanges a look with Chewie when watching the droid and his niece interact. As the Resistance dropship lowers to the ground, Han nervously makes a beeline for it and Elara makes a motion for BB-8 to follow her as she leads Han and Chewie over. A young man is seen running towards them with dark skin and dark clothes, and Elara's eyebrows shoot up when she recognized Poe's jacket. She looks down at BB-8 apprehensively, but the droid consoles her by informing the young Skywalker that the man was a friend and he had been the one to help Poe escape the First Order.

"He took her. Did you see it?" Finn kept bombarding Han's space as the old man looked distracted, "He took her. She's gone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Han waves it off warily with a pale face.

Chewie mutters to Finn when passing him and the poor guy looks on in confusion. BB-8 and Elara approach him and she takes pity by stating, "Chewbacca was telling you to follow him."

Finn felt nearly blindsided when Elara approached him, startling the daylights out of him. He gulps down a few breaths while he nervously nods, lowering his head while following Han and Chewie, "O-oh! Right..."

The dropship doors have opened by now and Han tries looking around the many Resistance fighters spilling out of it, hoping to catch sight of who he's looking for. Elara smiles to herself while watching him as Leia finally walks off the ship, the General frantically looking around before her eyes locked on her husband's, and then she practically melts. Nearly slouching in relief, Leia only smiles and shakes her knowingly at the sight of Han, who hesitantly smiles back with the warmth you would usually describe a home floating under his eyes. Elara hugs herself and leans into Chewie as she watches her aunt and uncle gaze at one another before the moment is traditionally broken by none other than the same blasted droid who always has a knack of ruining any private moment between Han and Leia.

"Goodness! Han Solo!" The said golden droid steps in between the two, "It is I, C-3PO. You probably don't recognize me because of the red arm. Look who it is!" Threepio flips around to address Leia, "Did you see who...?"

Leia raises her eyebrows expectedly at the droid until Threepio catches on, looking back and forth between her and Han before awkwardly stepping away, "Oh. Eh. Excuse me, Princes-- General. I'm sorry. Come on, BB-8, quickly," he walks away with the small astromech at his feet, responding to the series of beeps Beebee greets him with, "Yes, I must have my proper arm reinstalled."

Both the smuggler and the general stare at one another for a few more moments before Han quickly comes up with something to say, "You changed your hair."

Leia nods while retorting back, "Same jacket."

Han grips the collar of the leather jacket experimentally, "No, new jacket."

Chewie decides to interrupt the awkward moment for all their sakes and breaks away from Elara, walking over and greeting Leia, who smiles back up at him and entertains the Wookie with a hug around his waist. Chewie groans happily and makes a small remark about how long it's been since the last time he saw his princess. Leia nods to him as the Wookie boards the dropship behind her and when her eyes fall back to find her husband's, Han's face has fallen with dreary news.

"I saw him," her face falls with his, "Leia, I saw our son. He was here."

Leia looks down at the ground to think about this and when she glances back up, she notices Elara walking up to join Han's side, and she tries confirming her suspicions with a look, "Are you sure?"

Elara nods before Han could say anything, "He was here briefly."

"He took the girl," Han informed.

"But not the droid?" Leia asks.

"She saw the map to Luke," the smuggler explained, "I think... I think he realized this and decided he no longer needed the droid."

"So then the First Order have the map now," Elara frowns, "First the Republic and now this."

"They won't get it from the girl. She's strong," Han assures confidently.

"Only if you're sure," Elara shrugs and turns to Leia, "General, we should clear out soon once we have our wounded on board."

Han couldn't help but smile at the formality while Leia only nods to their niece, "Get your X-Wing and droid up in the air and escort the Millenium Falcon to the base."

"Yes sir," Elara nods, exchanging a smile with Han before calling BB-8 over and jogging back towards the beach where she had left her ship.

~~~~~~~~~

Leia's dropship, Han's Falcon, and all of the remaining X-Wings fly off to D'Qar and once they land, Finn hesitantly walks off the ramp of the Falcon, looking around expectedly. He avoided colliding with any pilots jogging by with their helmets under their arms along with droids slowly rolling about. The ex-stormtrooper looks around until his gaze lands on a black and orange X-Wing, remembering it to be the same ship that saved his life and kicked ass out over Maz's palace earlier that day. He watches the pilot climb down the ladder from the cockpit and nearly trips when BB-8 is suddenly rolling through his legs and racing as fast as his sphere could carry him towards the pilot, beeping as loud as he could to grab the man's attention.

Poe takes off his helmet and Finn squints his eyes to try and recognize the features from a distance. Poe passes over his helmet just as he hears someone calling his name in Binary. Look over, his lips grow into the widest smile, and his excitement dials up in delight as he runs to his droid.

"Beebee-Ate, my buddy!" He kneels down to BB-8 and practically hugs him, quickly breaking away while happily chatting with his best friend, "Oh, it's so good to see you," the droids whines and beeps to catch Poe up on his exciting couple of days until he gets to the part about his new friends and Poe's ears perk up, " _Finn_ saved you? Where is he?"

BB-8 spins his head in the direction he came from and Poe's gaze followed. The moment the pilot looked over, Finn was finally able to see his whole face and recognized him hesitantly as he starts making his way over, "Poe?"

Poe smiles hesitantly while standing up. He almost watches the other man in disbelief and breaks into a run, chuckling to himself without ever taking his eyes off of Finn, "Ohoho _no_."

"Poe Dameron, you're alive?" Finn is now running towards him as well and the two practically crash into each other and wrap their arms around one another.

"Buddy!" Poe grips his friend appreciatively before they part and cling to each other's shoulders, "So are you!"

"What happened to you?"

"What happened, I was thrown from the crash. I woke up at night; no you, no ship, nothing! BB-8 says that you saved him," Poe informed Finn just as said droid joined the two men at their feet, watching them curiously.

"No, no, no. It wasn't just me."

"You completed my mission, Finn--" Poe spotted a familiar color and he looks down at Finn's torso in realization, " _That's_ my jacket."

Finn remembered the jacket once he glanced down and moves to take it off, "Oh. Oh."

"No no no..." Poe quickly rushes to stop him and smiles in admiration at the younger man, "Keep it. It suits you," Poe bites his lip to contain his smile and playfully hits Finn's shoulder, nodding to him gratefully, "You're a good man, Finn."

Finn's face is solemn and desperate when he reaches out to grip the pilot's shoulder, "Poe, I need your help."

Once he explained his situation, Poe doesn't hesitate to lead him to Leia. The man saved his life, his droid, and his mission. The least he could do was help Finn bring all the information he knows about the Starkiller planet to the General while also helping form a plan to save his friend from Kylo Ren. Both men race down into the base, nearly leaping down the stairs as they go to meet Leia, Elara, and also Kaydel Ko Connix standing next to Snap Wexley.

"General Organa," Poe joins the small circle of admirals hovering around Leia and points to the man standing with him, "I'm sorry to interrupt. This is Finn. He needs to talk to you."

Leia's eyes brighten when she recognizes the name and gratefully grabs Finn's hand, "And I need to talk to him. That was incredibly brave, what you did. Renouncing the First Order, saving this man's life."

Finn smiles shyly, "Thank you, ma'am."

"No really, I think you may have saved any future grandchildren I might have."

Finn's eyes cast to the young woman from Maz's palace standing beside Leia when she starts to choke and sputter incoherently, the man who is known as Snap laughing until his sides hurt behind her, all the while Poe turns a different shade of red while absently rubbing the back of his neck and looking away.

Finn huffs in amusement and reverts back to feeling sincere about Rey, "It's good to hear that. But a friend of mine was taken prisoner."

"Han told me about the girl. I'm sorry."

"Finn's familiar with the weapon that destroyed the Hosnian system," Poe's quick to assure his general, "He worked on the base."

Leia's eyes spark with hope while looking back at the ex-stormtrooper, "We're desperate for anything you can tell us."

"That's where my friend was taken. I've got to get there fast."

"And I will do everything I can to help, but first, you need to tell us all you know."

~~~~~~~~~

After Finn informs the Resistance with ever bit of details he could remember from the base, Snap and Karé were sent on a recon mission to obtain more data on the Starkiller weapon. While they were gone, mechanics had been sent out to repair everyone's ships as fast as possible while Han practically forces Chewbacca to attend his arm in the med bay where Doctor Kalonia was waiting for him. C-3PO and BB-8 put together the map he had been hiding and regret to inform Leia that the map is only a partial piece of an even bigger map that they have yet to uncover, meaning that they were still a long way from finding her brother. Leia storms off to take a breather and Han follows her. Elara watches them go with a heavy gaze before exchanging a look with Threepio.

The droid only hums in retort, "Princesses."

"You're no angel either, buddy," Elara is quick to reply and walks away before Threepio could say anything more. He doesn't have much else to say to her anyway as he is easily distracted when BB-8 leaves his side. When he goes to find his smaller counterpart, they discover the remnants of poor R2-D2 in low-power mode and Threepio informs BB-8 that his attempts of waking him are fruitless.

Elara busies herself with trying to remain in close contain with Karé's ship while she and Snap are away in enemy territory while simultaneously trying not to peer over and watch her aunt and uncle quietly bickering amongst themselves in the distance. Elara gets a ping from Karé's ship and quickly forgets her worry for Han and Leia, walking over to bring the latest update on the mission to Admiral Statura for a future report. They discuss things briefly to each other until they are informed that Snap and Karé have safely landed back on D'Qar. 

"I'll alert the General," Statura nods to Elara and walks off to interrupt Leia's chat with Han, so the young Skywalker decides that she's better off letting him. Better him than her.

Everyone crowds around the war table once Leia orders everyone to fall in and listen to the plan. Poe joins Elara at the front of the table with Snap and Finn standing beside them. Dameron takes the lead on informing everyone on what they know, "The scan Data from Snap's reconnaissance flight confirms Finn's report."

"They somehow created a hyper lightspeed weapon built within the planet itself," Snap adds while leaning against the table and examining the map drawn out from his scan.

"A laser cannon?"

"We're not sure how to describe a weapon of this scale."

"It's another Death Star," Major General Ematt states and Poe shakes his head.

"I wish that were the case, Major. _This_ was the Death Star," Poe brings up a scale of the old Death Star onto the projector hovering over the table, and then brings up the much wider and much bigger scale of what Snap had just scanned on his mission, "And _this_ is Starkiller Base."

Small gasps of despair channels through the crowd at the huge size difference between planets and Han only scoffs, "So, it's _big_."

"How is it possible to power up a weapon of that size?" Admiral Ackbar asks.

Finn chimes in when Poe grants him an opening to explain, "They use the power of the sun. As the weapon is charged, the sun is drained until it disappears."

Elara receives a bing from her datapad and walks away from Poe and Finn, weaving through the crowd until she makes it to the General and hands her the data file with a grave expression, "Ma'am."

Leia nods in thanks and looks down at the new information, before looking up at everyone staring at her expectedly and she regrettably announces, "The First Order... they're charging their weapon again now. Our system is the next target."

A new wave of horror and gasps breaks through the crowd as Threepio states what they're all thinking, "Oh, my. Without the Republic fleet, we're doomed."

"Okay," Han looks around for suggestions, "How do we blow it up? There is always a way to do that."

"Han's right," Leia agrees and blatantly ignores her husband's gaze.

Admiral Statura sprouts an idea while looking around, "In order for that amount of power to be contained, that base has to have some kind of thermal oscillator."

"There is one," Finn informs while squeezing past Ackbar to stand next to Poe in order to gain control of the holoprojector and point out a small part of the planet, "Precinct 47. Here."

"If we can destroy that oscillator, it might destabilize the core and cripple the weapon," Statura announces.

General Ematt nods in agreement, "Maybe the planet."

Poe adds to the plan, "We'll go in there, we'll hit that oscillator with everything we got."

"They have defensive shields that our ships cannot penetrate," Ackbar informs gravelly.

Han adds his two cents to the plan, "We disable the shields. Kid," everyone turns when Solo's gaze lands on Finn, "You worked there. What do you got?"

"I can do it."

Han grins at Leia and Elara while pointing at Finn, "I like this guy."

"I can disable the shields, but I have to be there, on the planet."

Han looks over his shoulder at Chewie before assuring Finn, "We'll get you there."

Leia appears doubtful, "Han, how?"

Han's smile wasn't as reassuring as he wanted it to be, "If I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"I'm coming with you," Elara volunteers herself and is quick to open her mouth again the moment Leia's head turns to her, " _Someone_ has to keep him from doing something stupid. And besides, they need a Jedi on the ground instead of in the air."

Leia sighs in defeat when Han only responds with an encouraging grin, "Fine."

Poe breaks down the plan while looking around the crowd of fighters, "So, we disable the shields, we take out the oscillator and we blow up the big gun," Chewbacca roared in agreement and Poe breaks away from the crowd, "Alright, let's go!"

~~~~~~~~~

Han looks up to see Chewbacca walking down the ramp and points over to a part of the Falcon, "Chewie, check that thermal capitator. Come on, let's go!" He looks over his shoulder to see the young ex-stormtrooper recklessly dropping a pile of spheres, scattering them all over the ground, "Finn, be careful with those. They're explosives."

" _Now_ you tell me?"

"You know, no matter how much we fought," Han turns around to the new voice and meets eyes with Leia as she smiles up at him, "I always hated watching you leave."

Han grins while walking up to her, "That's why I did it. So you'd miss me."

Her eyes were bright and full of life for the first time in ages while shamelessly admitting, "I did miss you."

The smuggler shrugs playfully, "It wasn't all bad, was it? Huh? Some of it was... good."

"Pretty good," she agrees with a small laugh.

Han chuckles and reaches over to settle his hands on her shoulders, "Some things never change."

"True. You still drive me crazy," the two of them smile as Han brings her into a tight embrace, settling his chin over the top of her hair. Leia clutches to his scent and his clothes, her eyes growing warm and wet as she fears the inevitable. She heaves a big sigh, "If you see our son... bring him home."

Han's face falls while watching the sun of D'Qar floating above them, deep in thought. He slowly and regrettably pulls away from Leia. Their eyes lock and they both can easily read the pain in each other's gaze. Han quickly clears his throat and nods, breaking the moment before the heavy guilt becomes unbearable. He turns away from Leia and goes to walk towards the Falcon until he sees a young pair standing in front of it, talking amongst themselves with little space between them. Han's anger flares up inside him while watching that young pilot - _Poe_ he thinks Leia mentioned- bend down to gently kiss Elara's mouth, and Han barely had time to look away when his niece began to kiss Poe back.

"Leave them," Leia says while still standing behind Solo, "You don't know him as I do. They've been through a lot together."

"So have we," Han mutters, "Look where we are now."

"You may only be her uncle through marriage, but she takes after you in many ways," Leia smiles, "Such as if Poe were to ever hurt her, he knows she'll kill him. And the boy is smart enough to let her," Han snorts in bemusement and Leia rolls her eyes, grabbing Han's hand to force him to look away from the young couple and stare back down at her. She sees the troubled gaze, his old face contorted with guilt and deep sorrow that Leia doesn't need the Force to sense. She runs her thumb over her husband's wrist, "Han... she's not her mother. You don't have to protect her as you protected Nora."

"I _couldn't_ protect Nora," Han is quick to correct his wife, "If I did, she'd be alive right now to watch her daughter kiss some pilot--"

"Not just any pilot. Kes and Shara's boy."

"Oh. _Oh_ ," Han's eyes widened while a flash of a memory swims through him. He remembers a young A-Wing pilot with dark hair and eyes, confident and kind. One of Leia and Nora's closest friends, who had to step down as a pilot towards the end of the war to have her baby boy, Poe. Her husband, tall and built, was a Pathfinder and served under Solo in the war, following him anywhere. He was a good soldier and a dear friend, but time and loss had split them apart. Han looks back over at the fully grown Poe _Dameron_ once he realized he was staring at the same boy he met when he was only a toddler with a spaced-out look in his eye, "It's like seeing a ghost."

"Shara raised her boy right for however long she lived, and Kes did his best afterward," Leia spoke gently to Han, "Poe would never hurt Elara. If anything, it took all of my willpower not to tear them apart for how much they drove me crazy."

Han huffs a laugh under his breath, nodding softly to his wife before walking away finally, feeling the pride linger in his chest as the couple pulls away from each other when they sensed him approaching. Elara didn't look the least bit embarrassed, but she rolled her eyes when Poe appeared a little on edge at the sight of Han Solo.

"Alright, kid," Han addressed his niece, "We've got the entire trip to talk about your new boy toy."

"What can I say," she shrugs shamelessly, "I have a thing for pilots."

"It runs in the women of your family," Han huffs before waving her off, "Now let's go."

"Right behind you," Elara calls after him as he walks off towards the Falcon, only turning back to Poe when she knows her uncle wouldn't interrupt them again.

Once Han was out of sight, Poe relaxed a little and smiled down at her, "He seems nice."

"That's you in thirty years."

He wiggles his eyebrows with a bright, smug expression, "You willing to stick around for thirty years to prove it?"

She snorts, "I doubt I'll live that long. You've easily stolen about ten years off my life span."

"Not my fault you worry so much."

"I'm a Jedi. I don't worry. Though I think your stupidity helps with the fast-acting aging."

Poe laughs and nuzzles his nose against her cheek, enveloping her in his arms and listening to the hum of approval she lets out in his ear. He turns a little to kiss into her hairline, "If anyone should be worried it should be me. You'll be out there on the ground."

"With a lightsaber," she reminds him light-heartedly.

"--That you don't use."

"I'll also have a Wookie, a smuggler, and a stormtrooper with the knowledge to deflect the enemy shields. I'll be fine."

"You and Finn play nice then," Poe dips his head down lower to kiss her neck lightly, fondly, "Help him find his friend."

"I will. And _you_ stay out of trouble. Force knows I only started growing grey hairs cause you like to be the center of the First Order's attention."

"What can I say, I'd rather have their sights set on me than on you," he grins against her skin, "And I think you would look great with grey hair."

"Of course I would. Have you _seen_ my family?"

"I'd rather not look at my General that way, thanks."

She laughs behind her hand to muffle the sound and moves to walk away, but Poe hasn't let go of her hand yet and easily tugs her back into his arms, "Hey," once she's trapped in his embrace he leans down and captures her lips, not letting the kiss linger too long as he pulls away, grinning when Elara tries following him for more, "I'll see you later."

Her smile hurts the muscles in her face as she's able to lift her toes and plant a kiss on his chin, "Not if I see you first, Dameron," she finally manages to pull away from him and lets go of Poe's hand, half-saluting him as she starts walking back towards the Falcon, "I love you."

Poe settles his hands on his hips and lets his smile linger even after she's boarded her uncle's ship, "Love you."


End file.
